Environmental League of Massachusetts

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Leadership

President’s Message

George Bachrach, ELM President

Dear Friends of ELM: Rahm Emanuel got it right. Never let a good crisis go to waste.

America is on the cusp of dramatic breakthroughs in energy conservation, climate change, and protection of the environment. If the new Obama Administration has the vision and courage, we can use the current crisis to revolutionize the auto industry and finally bring it into the 21st century by requiring more energy-efficient vehicles. We can use the economic stimulus package to create jobs and revitalize the construction industry by retrofitting our homes and businesses, providing greater energy efficiency. If we get it right, the end result will be more jobs and lower fuel bills to homeowners and businesses. And if the federal government is finally willing to remove the impediments to Cape Wind, we can see alternative energy from wind, solar and other renewable sources finally become a reality.

Here in Massachusetts we are just coming off an historic legislative year with the passage of the $1.6B Environmental Bond bill, the Global Warming Solutions Act, the Oceans Act, the Green Communities Act, and the Green Jobs Act. For the first time, we will see an economy-wide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 10% to 25% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 85% reductions by 2050. We will see municipalities and utilities placing a premium on energy conservation and renewable energy rather than generating more and more energy from fossil fuels. And we in Massachusetts can become leaders in the new industry of renewable energy production, technology and energy conservation, providing thousands of jobs to a work force desperate for jobs.

But although we have a new and hopeful national administration in Washington and an equally impressive administration here in Massachusetts, the devil is in the details. We have passed landmark legislation here at home, but the regulatory details to implement these advances are still fluid. Now, more than ever, we need forceful advocacy to ensure that new regulations are properly written and executed.

At ELM we will strengthen our advocacy and reach out to new allies in both the corporate world and grassroots activists. We will work hard to include diverse voices to ensure that every geographic and socio-economic group participates in the building of a healthier environment and a healthier economy.

The future of our public health and the protection of our environment depends on the involvement of all of us, not just the few. We must seize the moment, use the crisis for our common good, and make dramatic progress ahead. We look forward to working with you.