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Denise Provost
Somerville Stateside |
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Contact Information
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Representative Denise Provost
State House, Room 473B
Boston, MA 02133
Office phone number is: 617-722-2263
Fax number is: 617-722-2837
Email address is: denise.provost@mahouse.gov.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Denise
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| Transportation Funding: Getting a Better Deal than the House Bill | |
When I was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, our state's chronic underfunding of our transportation system was already old news. A specially appointed expert commission reported in March, 2007, that it would take at least a billion dollars a year for ten years to put our system in a state of good repair. Six years later, a bill was put forward to address our staggering funding shortfalls - and it wasn't enough; not for the MBTA, not for the Green Line Extension.
H. 3372 proposed $500m in new revenue each year, with about half those dollars programmed for transportation. The pitch made to the House members was that, if we did not approve this bill, we would get nothing for transportation. Believing this threat to be a bluff, I voted against the bill, helping to prevent the veto-proof majority that House leadership was looking for.
With Governor Patrick threatening to veto the House bill, the Senate was able to pass a bill that funds transportation more robustly. The two bills have been sent to a conference committee, which started meeting on May 2, 2013, to reconcile differences between the two bills. In my letter to the conference committee, I reaaserted that Massachusetts needs close to a billion dollars a year for this purpose - we can't keep underfunding transportation.
To come up with your own estimate of how much is required to fund our transportation needs, try out the interactive Transportation Budget Calculator just developed by the Conservation Law Foundation and T4 Mass:
http://www.clf.org/blog/massachusetts/tool-to-crack-massachusetts-transportation-budget-nut/
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Ethanol Trains: Mobilizing Against the Menace |
Some in Somerville know about the plans of Global Partners, LP to expand its fuel-mixing facility in Revere, and start bringing ethanol to its site by freight train (it is currently shipped by barge). Ethanol, a hazardous material, is highly flammable, with a flashpoint of 55 F. Ethanol fires cannot be extinguished with water, but require a special chemical foam that firefighters must be trained to apply.These links offer information about the perils and challenges of ethanol fire:
Public safety and transporting ethanol
Ethanol fuels fire concerns
The transport of ethanol by train is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration, and requires no license or permit. Because this activity is federally regulated, the state cannot control or condition it. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), however, recently completed a limited safety study of Global's plan to switch to land transportation of ethanol, which you can find at:
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/CurrentStudies/EthanolSafetyStudy.aspx
The state has one area of jurisdictional control over Global's plans. The Revere facility is looking to double the size of its operation. Since it is situated partly on filled tidelands, the expansion requires a "Chapter 91" license from the state's Department of Environmental Protects on (DEP).
Now that MassDOT have completed its safety study, DEP would act on the Chapter 91 license at any time. It is somewhat heartening to that DEP has not yet done so. Amendments were filed to the House budget which would have affected the issuance of the Chapter 91 license, but these amedments were not adopted.
Some similar amendments were filed to the Senate budget; their fate will be determined when the Senate debates its budget, later this week. Whatever comes out of the state's budget, however, the proposal to send mile-long freight trains full of ethanol through Somerville and the rest of the urban core is unlikely to go away. Ultimately, we may need to seek relief at the federal level or in the courts to keep this hazard at a safe distance from our community. |
| Grounding McGrath Update |
MassDOT, at the insistence of the city of Somerville and the legislative delegation, has been conducting a planning study of the future of the McGrath Highway (Rte 28, from Mystic Ave to the Cambridge line) The study has been focused on removing the elevated portions of McGrath, and re-designing the entire roadway to run at grade. MassDOT's work has been supplemented by the input of a community working group, in which I have paticipated.
On May 15, 2013, MassDOT officials presented their preferred alternative design concept to a substantial crowd at the Argenziano School. To see views of the preferred "Boulevard Alternative" and other re-designs concepts go to:
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/groundingmcgrath/Home.aspx
MassDOT will continue to take comments on it for a limited time. Note that the study, at this point, outlines a design concept. It does not felect the detail of a project which is ready to build.
At the same meeting, officials from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) presented their preliminary Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for the McGrath redesign proposals. The HIA is an exercise in modeling health data to predict what impacts the different design proposals compare with each other, and with existing conditions (the "no build" option). DPH looked at many health indicators, including air quality, road safety, and opportunities for physical exercise (walking and biking) in the corridor. To read the study, go to
http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/environmental-health/health-impact-assessments.html
DPH will take comments on the Health Impact Assessment until May 20, 2013.
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| Upcoming Events |
El Sistema Benefit - Tuesday, May 28
Join me on Tuesday, May 28 at the Somerville Theatre the first annual El Sistema Somerville Youth Orchestra Benefit Concert, with performances featuring the work of Mozart, Rossini, Bill Withers, and Michael Jackson. Doors open at 6:30pm; Concert begins promptly at 7:00pm.
15th Annual Benefit Concert Event for Musicians in Mali - Thursday, May 30
On Thursday, May 30, World Connection will host the 15th Annual Benefit Concert for Musicians in Mali, featuring a photo art exhibit, "Faces, Places, and Musicians of Mali," which runs now through June 15th.
The concert on May 30 begins at 7:00pm at the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave, and features music from June LaPoint, Big Blue World, Ayisha Knight, Sambalolo, and more. |
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