Impact future policy in MA

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ScottCJ7

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We have the opportunity to help shape environmental policy with the incoming elected officials. If you have the time please make a point of attending this meeteing to let our voices be heard. If you can't attend, please send a letter to

Amy Perlmutter
Perlmutter Associates
23 Avon Street Cambridge, MA 02138
617-354-5456

amy@aperlmutter.com


Massachusetts Transition Team Listening Session

Energy and Environment

December 12, 2006 - 7:00 p.m.

Lenox Town Hall auditorium



Dear BREC members,

I apologize if you have already received notice (or multiple notices) of this community meeting sponsored by the Patrick-Murray transition team re: issues pertainining to Energy and Environment - but wanted to be sure that you were all aware and encourage you to attend and/or submit testimony to the committee.



Below is a notice from Amy Perlmutter (a member of the transition team) was sent before the date and location were set - but has information about developing recommendations and  how to send comments directly to them via the web or an email to Amy (her email address is included).



thanks!  Also, CET will be submitting comments and we welcome your thoughts about issues we should include.



best,

Nancy



Nancy Nylen, Associate Director

Center for Ecological Technology (CET)

112 Elm Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201

413-458-4588 (home office); 413-443-8123 (fax)

email:  nancyn@cetonline.org

Visit CET on the web at: www.cetonline.org

For local renewable energy information:  www.berkshirerenewables.org

--

Dear friends and colleagues:

I have been asked to serve on Governor-Elect Patrick's transition
team for energy and environmental policy. There are about 15
transition work groups for various subjects, and we are on a very

quick time frame (our final report is due on December 15!).

Information on the transition can be found at:

http://www.patrickmurraytransition.org/.



The Energy and Environmental Policy Group has been given 6 Principles
for which to develop recommendations for the Governor-elect. These are:

    * Driving our economy around renewable technologies
    * Investing in our parks and open spaces
    * Promoting conservation
    * A plan to ensure that government practices what it preaches
    * Limitations on toxics
    * Utility regulations and how they impact investments


In developing our recommendations, we are interested in what you all
have to say about challenges and opportunities or anything else in
these areas. How can the governor show leadership not just in this
state, but regionally and nationally on environmental issues. Also
let us know if you have comments on the principles themselves-are
they the right ones, is anything missing, etc.

The committee will be holding hearings in various parts of the state-
I don't have the dates or locations yet. In addition, the transition
committee has set up a section of the website for you to provide
comments at http://www.patrickmurraytransition.org/comments.cfm. I am
also happy to take comments directly from you in writing. If you do
provide them to me, it would be helpful if you could organize them by
the above principles and keep them somewhat brief and to the point.
And be aware that I will be sharing whatever you provide me with with
the other committee members. I'd love to talk to each one of you
individually, but please recognize that this is a quick process and I
am personally reaching out to a lot of people. So I am happy to talk
to you, take your comments and pass them on, and/or answer questions.
But if you are comfortable using the website or going to a hearing, I
would encourage you to do that.

You might also want to take a look at Deval Patrick's energy and

environmental policy paper from the campaign at http://devalpatrick.com/issues_environment.cfm

Please feel free to pass this along to others who you think may be
interested in providing input.

--
Amy Perlmutter
Perlmutter Associates
23 Avon Street Cambridge, MA 02138
617-354-5456

amy@aperlmutter.com

SHORT NOTICE

There is another meeting being held more local to many of us, please we need YOUR attendance!

Monday 12/11/06 @ 6:00 PM

Energy and Environment Community Meeting

Contact: Patrick-Murray Transition
Phone: 617-367-2006
Email: info@patrickmurraytransition.org
Location: Portuguese American Civic Club
175 School Street
Taunton
 
Here is a report from Ryan Schneider, the MA Land Chair, who attended last night's meeting in Taunton MA

I hope this helps for the Lenox Meeting tonight

Last night I attended the meeting along with Chris Hetu and Mark Wenzel both from Freedom Trail Riders. I was the only one to testify. As the meeting ran long and they cut the people speaking off. There were A LOT of greenies there. When it was my time to speak I went into my best ramble that basically went something along these lines.

I introduced myself as the Ma land chair for the NEA4WDC. I then went on to state that Motorized Off-Road Recreation with vehicles weighing over 1000 lbs. was one of the fastest growing family sports in the USA and how the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has not provided any access to this user group.( this was falling on deaf ears) I then changed gears and told them about the State of New Hampshire’s Jericho Park Program and stated that the preliminary yearly revenues numbers were approx. $694,000 to the State with a residual revenue of $1,000,000 to the local businesses and municipality. (Their ears perked up on this one) I then went on to state that some of the Motorized Off-Road Community in the State of Massachusetts has access to private land within the State and how we make it a habit to frequent the local businesses when we are there and how most of these communities do not have the luxury of tourism dollars to help their economic growth. I asked them to please consider Motorized off-road recreation user groups when devising new access plans within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

Scott, the thing I found most bizarre about this meeting was that everyone else was asking for funding in the millions of dollars, Our User group was the only one implying that we would want to GIVE them money.

Ryan Schneider
 
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