Healey’s climate chief calls for more specifics ahead of Massachusetts 2050 goals

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The Healey administration released a set climate-related recommendations Wednesday that highlight the need to find money for decarbonization strategies as climate-related impacts and northward migration patterns put more and more pressure on the region.

The report, authored by Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer’s Office of Climate Innovation and Resilience, outlines 39 actions to deal with rising global temperatures, which have reached 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and more extreme weather events across the world, including the Bay State.

“Massachusetts, like other state and local governments, must play a leading role in climate policy and implementation, spurring innovation in technology, climate finance, and resilience,” the report said.

State law requires Massachusetts to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050, an effort that will require “substantial” investments, the report said. The costs of not making those investments “will be even greater.”

But the state, the report points out, lacks a plan to finance the investments needed to reach those goals.

Hoffer’s office recommends preparing an economic analysis of the investments needed to achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, including the 2050 net zero mandate, by December 2024.

“New federal funding for climate action … can be anticipated to mobilize between 8-30% of total decarbonization investment,” according to the report. “The commonwealth should conduct economic analyses of the total investment required to meet our 2050 net zero mandate and resilience needs, and develop specific funding strategies for both.”

Massachusetts will start publishing an annual report card starting this fall to track the state’s progress towards reaching climate goals mandated by state law. A design for the report is due by Nov. 1 and the document will be published by Dec. 1, the report said.

“Because building and transportation fossil fuel combustion jointly account for 72% of the commonwealth’s emissions, efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels in those two sectors through electrification will feature prominently in the Climate Report Card,” the report said.

2022 statewide climate change assessment identified climate-drive in-migration from other regions in the United States and migrations from other areas of the world to the Northeast “as an urgent concern with a major level of consequence.”

The Northeast, the Wednesday report from Hoffer’s office said, is projected to “receive significant migration,” something the state should begin planning for immediately.

“Planning for costs in the form of additional services and additional demands for housing (which can affect regional housing markets) should begin now. There are also economic development opportunities as this migration may help reverse trends in regional population decline,” the report said.

The report also calls for a statewide plan to electrify all state-owned vehicles and equipment fleets and to consider creating a single entity or agency to coordinate the installation of charging infrastructure.

An executive order signed by former Gov. Charlie Baker called on the state fleet to consist of 5% zero emission vehicles in 2025, 20% in 2030, 75% in 2040, and 100% in 2050. Baker also required Massachusetts to have 350 electric vehicle charging stations on state property in 2025 and 500 in 2030, among other targets.

“Despite these targets, the Commonwealth is facing significant challenges in its efforts to electrify its vehicle fleet,” the Healey administration’s report said. “There are varying reasons for the challenges in electrifying the fleet, including the lack of sufficient charging infrastructure at state-owned facilities and of well-resourced operations and maintenance plans for the charging infrastructure.”

A car sits stranded amid debris after historic rains left a swath of damage and destruction in Leominster in September. (Chris Christo/Boston Herald)

Gophers defense squared up on Hawkeyes’ ‘curveballs’ in rivalry win

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Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi grew up as a baseball player in Pittsburgh. In the batter’s box, he could lock in and hit curveballs.

But at age 16, his career on the diamond was derailed when he fouled off a pitch that hit in him in the face. He went legally blind his left eye.

That scary situation led Rossi to focus on football, and his connection to his other boyhood love returned as a theme as Minnesota prepared for the Floyd of Rosedale rivalry game at Iowa last Saturday.

The Gophers wanted to take away certain plays the Hawkeyes have had success with against Minnesota in the past — double-move passing routes, reverses and misdirection handoffs. “Those are kind of like off-speed pitches,” Rossi said.

Minnesota took away those plays, with Iowa having only one explosive offensive play in the Gophers’ 12-10 victory. The Hawkeyes mustered only 11 rushing yards, their lowest total since 2019, and a paltry 127 total yards, a new low since 2017.

When they made a big play, the Gophers planned to mimic swings of a bat in celebration during the game in Iowa City.

Jalen Logan-Redding and Danny Striggow both took big cuts after each sacked quarterback Deacon Hill in the fourth quarter.

“JLR decided to throw a lacrosse stick, which was not elite,” Rossi said. “But Danny, you could tell was an athlete and played baseball, so his was pretty good.”

Pro Football Focus College named Logan-Redding to its defensive team of the week. He felt it was his best game this season, but added there is still room for improvement.

The Gophers had four sacks and three takeaways against the Hawkeyes. In other words, the equivalent of multiple extra-base hits.

Dolphin saw it

Iowa radio play-by-play commentator Gary Dolphin described the invalid fair catch signal punt returner Cooper DeJean used during the return Saturday well before officials on the field arrived on the call after a video review.

“Cooper DeJean was waving for everybody to get away from the ball,” Dolphin said in the moment on the radio. “… I think Minnesota was stunned, and the Coop just flew the coop!”

DeJean’s gesture with his left hand, and possibly an audible command, resulted in one teammate stopping his block for DeJean, and Gophers coverage team member Tariq Watson letting up in his pursuit of DeJean.

“He snookered everybody to getting out of the way; he sold it,” Dolphin said.

Dolphin then sounds as if he grows confused by the invalid fair catch signal, but the intent of the rule, according to the NCAA’s Steve Shaw, is to not give coverage players doubt on whether the returner gave a fair catch signal or a “get away” call.

Hence, why the play was ruled dead before the return.

Oink ink?

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck shared that right tackle Quinn Carroll might get a pig tattoo now that the Minnesotan has won Floyd of Rosedale.

“I might, who knows,” Carroll told the Pioneer Press.

Carroll already has ink, predominately a cross on his left arm, so another one tat would not be far-fetched.

Briefly

Michigan State’s starting right tackle, Spencer Brown, has been suspended for the first half of the Gophers game Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium. The Big Ten issued the punishment in response to a flagrant personal foul against Michigan last Saturday. … Illinois’ best defensive player, tackle Johnny Newton, will miss the first half of the Gophers game at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 4 due to an ejection for targeting against Wisconsin last Saturday. The Illini are on a bye this weekend, and their appeal of the suspension was denied.

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Abortions in the US rose slightly overall after post-Roe restrictions were put in place, study finds

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By GEOFF MULVIHILL (Associated Press)

The total number of abortions provided in the U.S. rose slightly in the 12 months after states began implementing bans on them throughout pregnancy, a new survey finds.

The report out this week from the Society of Family Planning, which advocates for abortion access, shows the number fell to nearly zero in states with the strictest bans — but rose elsewhere, especially in states close to those with the bans. The monthly averages overall from July 2022 through June 2023 were about 200 higher than in May and June 2022.

The changes reflect major shifts after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022 handed down its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that had made abortion legal nationally. Since last year, most Republican-controlled states have enacted restrictions, while most Democrat-controlled states have extended protections for those from out of state seeking abortion.

“The Dobbs decision turned abortion access in this country upside down,” Alison Norris, a co-chair for the study, known as WeCount, and a professor at The Ohio State University’s College of Public Health, said in a statement. “The fact that abortions increased overall in the past year shows what happens when abortion access is improved, and some previously unmet need for abortion is met.” But she noted that bans make access harder — and sometimes impossible — for some people.

Meanwhile, an anti-abortion group celebrated that the number of abortions in states with the tightest restrictions declined by nearly 115,000. “WeCount’s report confirms pro-life protections in states are having a positive impact,” Tessa Longbons, a senior researcher for the Charlotte Lozier Institute, said in a statement.

Abortion bans and restrictions are consistently met with court challenges, and judges have put some of them on hold. Currently, laws are being enforced in 14 states that bar abortion throughout pregnancy, with limited exceptions, and two more that ban it after cardiac activity can be detected — usually around six weeks of gestational age and before many women realize they’re pregnant.

In all, abortions provided by clinics, hospitals, medical offices and virtual-only clinics rose by nearly 200 a month nationally from July 2022 through June 2023 compared with May and June 2022. The numbers do not reflect abortion obtained outside the medical system — such as by getting pills from a friend. The data also do not account for seasonal variation in abortion, which tends to happen most often in the spring.

The states with big increases include Illinois, California and New Mexico, where state government is controlled by Democrats. But also among them are Florida and North Carolina, where restrictions have been put into place since the Dobbs ruling. In Florida, abortions are banned after 15 weeks of pregnancy — and it could go to six weeks under a new law that won’t be enforced unless a judge’s ruling clears the way. And in North Carolina, a ban on abortion after 12 weeks kicked in in July. The states still have more legal access than most in the Southeast.

The researchers pointed to several factors for the numbers rising, including more funding and organization to help women in states with bans travel to those where abortion is legal, an increase in medication abortion through online-only clinics, more capacity in states where abortion remains legal later in pregnancy and possibly less stigma associated with ending pregnancies.

Nationally, the number of abortions has also been rising since 2017.

Biden asks Congress for $56 billion for child care, disaster aid and other domestic issues

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The Biden administration is calling on Congress to pass roughly $56 billion in funding for a range of critical domestic priorities, including efforts to prop up the shaky child care industry and bolster natural disaster recovery work.

The supplemental request is the second major legislative package that the White House has sought within the last week, after the administration proposed nearly $106 billion in emergency aid primarily to support Israel and Ukraine. But it’s likely to face immediate political opposition from Republicans, who remain broadly skeptical of funding key elements of President Joe Biden’s domestic policy agenda.

The package includes $23.5 billion to bolster the government’s response to natural disasters in California, Florida and elsewhere across the country, renewing a request that the administration first made earlier this fall.

Another $16 billion is earmarked for the child care sector, amid warnings from lawmakers and advocates that the industry could suffer a wave of closures if pandemic-era subsidies are not replaced with new funding. The administration is also seeking $6 billion each to maintain initiatives that provide high-speed internet access and fortify the nation’s communications infrastructure. The package also includes several additional smaller priorities, such as nearly $1.6 billion to combat fentanyl and $220 million to prevent abrupt pay cuts for wildland firefighters.

The White House has argued that the funding is critical to avoiding disruptions to key elements of the economy, as well as continuing cleanup operations in areas devastated by wildfires and hurricanes over the last several months. The natural disaster funding would go toward specific disaster recovery efforts, like in Hawaii and Florida, as well as help replenish FEMA’s disaster relief fund and fund other repairs.

The package also represents an effort to demonstrate that Biden remains focused on major issues at home, even as much of his attention over the last few weeks has been pulled abroad by Israel’s war with Hamas and Ukraine’s ongoing defense against Russia.

Biden had faced particular criticism earlier this year for declining to prioritize child care funding as part of negotiations over a September stopgap budget proposal. The $16 billion sought in this new request is equal to the amount that advocates argue is necessary to stave off the collapse of thousands of facilities across the country.

“While we absolutely must deliver on key national security priorities as quickly as we are able to, we’ve also got to tackle the challenges facing families here at home,” said top Senate Appropriations Committee Democrat Patty Murray, who had personally pressed Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young and other top Biden officials to prioritize billions of dollars in funding for daycares and child care facilities. “We can stand with our allies around the world and solve problems for our families at the same time.”

Still, with less than a month before the government could shut down, those domestic priorities are likely to take a back seat — at least initially — to more urgent efforts to secure the White House’s foreign aid package and keep the government open.

Biden has cast approving Ukraine funding as a defining moment in the war, warning that cutting off aid now would allow Russia to quickly retake territory. Lawmakers are also eager to send help to Israel, efforts that have been stalled for weeks amid House Republicans’ inability to elect a speaker.

On Wednesday, the GOP-led House approved Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as its next leader, elevating a conservative lawmaker who has opposed many of Biden’s top priorities — including sending more funds to Ukraine. The administration will now have less than a month to find a path for both their foreign and domestic funding requests, as well as strike a deal to keep the government running.