The Pike and Swaptions

This is some seriously good stuff.

If people want to understand what's behind the Pike's apparent collapse and what the state should do and can do from here, that's the link to click and read.

The Fly Ash Bill, Today's Globe Ed

Great bill, great editorial, great step for Massachusetts to take - if we can make her take that step.

The gist of the bill:

COAL is the cheapest source of electricity. One major reason why is that mining companies and coal-burning utilities have managed to pass many of its health and environmental costs - from the dust miners breathe to greenhouse gases - onto society at large. The latest demonstration of this came in Tennessee just before Christmas, when a lake of coal fly ash broke through its earthen dam and oozed out over 300 acres, damaging or destroying at least 15 houses.

In Massachusetts, where fly ash from the Salem power plant once contaminated the Lake Wenham water supply of Beverly, ash that is not reused in concrete production or other beneficial applications ends up in lined and covered landfills. Even in this state, though, there is no law mandating safe disposal. A bill co-sponsored by Representatives Lori Ehrlich of Marblehead and Mary Grant of Beverly would do so.

The Globe neglected to mention the fact that the fly-ash bill is revenue neutral, which is especially important in this fiscal crisis we're living in.

Disclosure: I live in Ehrlich's district and volunteered on her special election and general election campaigns, both taking place in '08.

My Disclosure Post

Earlier today I talked about how I was joining Lori Ehrlich's campaign for State Rep from my hometown district of Swampscott, Marblehead and parts of Lynn. I'm doing it because I think she'll be awesome and we see eye-to-eye on most of the core issues, be it the environment or the way state funding works and how health care costs are effecting the big picture. I'm doing it on a volunteer basis, only my time and energy are going into the race.

All that said, this blog will continue to function independently of the campaign. My words are my own. None of what I say should be attributed to the campaign, or taken as Lori's views. When I cover the race on this blog in the future, it will certainly include full disclosure and may often link back to this standard disclosure announcement.