Exiting the Trader Joe’s near my home in Cambridge recently, I was approached by an intense man who asked: “Are you a registered voter in Cambridge?” He was collecting signatures for a petition that would put a recent zoning amendment adopted by the City Council on the ballot for a referendum. The City Council was […]
Feds Approve Cape Wind
U.S. Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar announced the approval of the Cape Wind project today: Cape Wind Associates, the developer, said it planned to begin construction of the 130 turbines about five miles off Cape Cod by the end of the year, even as the main opposition group announced that it would immediately file a lawsuit […]
Mass. Survey Finds Nearly One-Quarter of Distressed Homeowners Obtain Loan Modifications
An intriguing new survey by the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations finds that nearly one-quarter of homeowners facing foreclosure who sought counseling were able to obtain a loan modification from their mortgage lender. Drawing from 1,143 people who have sought assistance from non-profit agencies providing housing counseling, the survey also contains information about the […]
Wind Power in the Bay State
Descending into Boston’s Logan Airport last August, I noticed an unexpected element among the rocky islands and weathered colonials. At the end of a narrow neck of land just feet from seaside homes was a massive, commercial-sized wind turbine turning lazily in the wind. After moving to Boston, wind power seemed everywhere. Setting up the […]