Government Briefs: Cape Cod Bridges Funding & More
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| U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and Gov. Maura Healey celebrate funding for the Cape Cod bridges. |
State Secures $1.72B Toward Cape Cod Bridges Project
The Healey-Driscoll administration is celebrating that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers winning nearly $1 billion in federal funding for the replacement of the Cape Cod bridges. The funding is from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program. This brings the total amount of federal funding secured for the project to nearly $1.72 billion, in addition to the $700 million in state funding pledged by Gov. Maura Healey’s administration.
"This is a game-changing award for Massachusetts. We’ve never been closer to rebuilding the Cape Cod Bridges than we are right now. This funding will be critical for getting shovels in the ground," said Healey.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called it "a billion dollar home run" and noted that the congressional delegation has secured nearly $2 billion in state and federal funds for the Sagamore and Bourne bridges. The state's junior senator, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, said, "Replacing these aging bridges will bring immense economic, environmental, and social benefits to the region and the entire commonwealth."
The project to replace the two bridges is essential for supporting the economy of Cape Cod and surrounding communities and ensuring safe and reliable travel for residents, workers and millions of annual visitors. Officials said it also presents a powerful opportunity to modernize designs to improve safety, mobility and resiliency; increase economic vitality and improve access through better pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure.
The new design will also have multimodal elements including shared-use paths to fill transportation gaps and ensure full accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists and people with mobility devices. The project will also provide 9,000 high-quality union construction jobs.
The initial phase project will replace the Sagamore Bridge and Healey-Driscoll administration is pursuing additional federal dollars to fund additional project phases, including for the Bourne Bridge.
MDAR Fines Rescue for Transporting Sick Dogs
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources' Division of Animal Health has issued a $4,500 fine to Rural T.A.N.K. Rescue, an organization based in southern Texas, for continuing to operate as an unlicensed animal rescue organization. MDAR issued a cease-and-desist order on June 30, 2021, following an investigation that found the rescue operating without a license and importing a group of puppies into Massachusetts that tested positive for canine parvovirus. Canine parvovirus is a highly infectious disease in dogs, frequently fatal in puppies. Rural T.A.N.K. Rescue's recent activities include the importation of dogs with falsified health certifications, adopting dogs with undisclosed behavior problems, and placing a puppy with an adopter that died within 16 hours of arrival.
Massachusetts residents seeking to adopt pets from private animal shelters and rescues should check first to ensure the organization is licensed to operate in the commonwealth. A list of all licensed organizations can be found on MDAR's website.
UMass at Amherst Awarded $6.4M Toward Clean Construction Materials
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the University of Massachusetts at Amherst is one of four recipients working in New England that will receive more than $18 million in grants to support efforts in reporting and reducing climate pollution from the manufacturing of construction materials. This is part of the nearly $160 million in grants announced nationally.
UMass will receive $6,371,426, for project activities in Amherst, Chicago and Pittsburgh. This project will reduce the environmental impacts of domestic construction activity, steel production, and product manufacturing through increasing the quality, transparency, and geographic coverage of life cycle inventories and resultant EPDs representing steel products. The university will also provide educational resources to students and design, construction and steel industry professionals.
Also receiving grants are GO Lab Inc. (dba TimberHP), based in Maine, which will receive $418,420 toward its work on producing insulation board, batt, and loose fill insulation from wood fiber; Holcim US Inc. is getting $1,371,814, for project activities in Massachusetts and other states on production of lower-carbon aggregates and ready-mix concrete; and Oklahoma State University is getting $9,990,311, for project activities in New Hampshire and other states in leading the creation of the National Center for Sustainable Construction Materials to promote low carbon construction materials (LCCMs).
The United States leads the world in the production of clean construction materials, and these transformative awards from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act — the largest climate investment in history — will reduce climate pollution by helping businesses measure the carbon emissions associated with extracting, transporting, and manufacturing their products.
Learn more about EPA's Grant Program for Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gases in Construction Materials and Products here.
Governor Nominates Five to Superior Court
Gov. Maura Healey has nominated John Fraser, Keren Goldenberg, Julie Green, Matthew Nestor and Deepika Shukla to the Massachusetts Superior Court. The nominees will now be considered by the Governor's Council for confirmation.
The Superior Court is a trial court of general jurisdiction; 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 state counties. The Superior Court has exclusive original jurisdiction of first-degree murder cases, and has original jurisdiction of all other crimes, civil actions over $50,000, matters where parties are seeking equitable relief, and actions including labor disputes where parties are seeking injunctive relief.
Read more about the nominees here.
Congressional Delegation Opposes Resumption of Osprey Flights
U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal have written to the Department of Defense regarding "deep concerns" with the decision to resume flying the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey (Osprey) aircraft.
They say the Osprey has a troubling safety record, having killed 64 servicemembers and injured 93 since it was first introduced in 2007, including Capt. Ross Reynolds, Leominister native, and Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher of Pittsfield. Following the November 2023 crash in southwestern Japan that killed all eight airmen onboard including Galliher, the aircraft was grounded across all branches of the military.
The leading theory for many of the accidents centers around the malfunctioning of the clutch, which damages key components and lurches the aircraft in one direction or another creating a dangerous situation for the crew and passengers.
The DoD announced the resumption of restricted Osprey flights in March and U.S. Naval Air Systems Command predicts that a decision on unrestricted flight operations will not be made until mid-2025. In the meantime, the Osprey will undergo a comprehensive investigation into the training, maintenance, and operations of the aircraft.
The lawmakers are requesting answers about the Osprey's full review, Bell Textron Inc.'s and Boeing Co.'s roles in that review, the aircraft's role in major DoD strategies, and details on Class A aircraft mishaps by Aug. 1.
"The Department of Defense should be making servicemember's safety a top priority. That means grounding the V-22 until the root cause of the aircraft's many accidents is identified and permanent fixes are put into place," said the lawmakers.
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