There is a second meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 16, at 7:30 PM at the First Universalist Society in Franklin, 262 Chestnut St, Franklin.
This is for those who are concerned about a proposed gas line that would run through our towns. This proposal has lots of problems and we can discuss many of them.
For more information call Jim Hill at 508-528-4888.
"The pipeline is still in a preliminary phase and if everything goes as planned, construction wouldn't be complete until 2017. Spectra Energy is looking for federal permission to add 10 miles of pipeline through towns like Franklin and Millis. Residents say they want to know what's in store for them before construction begins."
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| a sign truck parked outside the Keller School at the information session here on March |
I want you to know that concerned Franklinites are meeting this Thursday, April 2, to discuss concerns with the Spectra Atlantic Bridge Pipeline.
The meeting is at the First Universalist Society of Franklin, 262 Chestnut St. at 7:30PM.
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| sign truck parked outside the informational meeting at Keller Elementary |
The roundtable, held at the Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, was attended by a number of legislators and officials, including U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, D-4th., state Rep. Jeffrey Roy, D- Franklin, state Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash, state Rep. John Fernandes, D-Milford, and Richard Lord, president of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts.
One topic on the agenda was energy costs, and National Grid program manager Sneha Sachar spoke about the factors that drove up electrical supply rates 30 percent over the winter.
"The crux of the challenge is natural gas pipelines - there's a limited volume of gas we can bring into the state," she said, noting that the state had an increased reliance on natural gas for electrical generation. "Some of our old generating plants are retired - they ran on coal and gas. Massachusetts has a commitment to clean energy, so there's a little bit of price volatility associated with that as well."
Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat who won re-election to a second term last November, also spent time marveling at Franklin’s new high school, calling its resources “truly unparalleled.”
He passed through the school’s cavernous auditorium and poked around its high-tech science labs, where students build robots or study crime scenes. Every so often he paused to admire the student drawings and paintings that adorn most hallways.
“This school represents an incredible sign of commitment from the community to the education of the next generation,” Kennedy said as the tour wrapped up.Continue reading the article here
| March 16, 2015 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM | Helen Keller Elementary School Cafeteria 500 Lincoln Street Franklin, MA 02038 |
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| Franklin Solar Challenge |
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The wild weather patterns of the last several months will provide a unique backdrop for a presentation on the Massachusetts Clean Energy Plan in Franklin. When the Franklin Democratic Town Committee meets on Monday, September 12 at 7 pm, local physicist Ted McIntyre will give a presentation on the plan which was launched in December 2010. The Franklin Committee welcomes anyone who is interested in this topic to attend the meeting.
The 136-page Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020 contains a "portfolio" of established and new measures that reduce energy waste, save money, and stimulate the adoption of clean energy technologies, thereby creating jobs at the same time that they reduce GHG emissions. It is estimated that 42,000 to 48,000 jobs would result from full implementation of the plan in 2020, both jobs that fill every niche in the clean energy supply chain – electricians, installers, researchers, architects, manufacturers, plumbers, energy auditors, technicians, and scientists – and jobs throughout the economy as lower fossil-fuel energy expenses lead to more spending on in-state goods and services.
"There are many excellent reasons to support the plan, but here is one jaw-dropping reason to back it: $22 billion dollars," noted McIntyre. "That is how much money leaves Massachusetts each year to pay for the coal, natural gas and petroleum we use."
McIntyre is the President of the Mass Climate Action Network (MCAN) and presents frequently on the topic. In addition to his work with MCAN, McIntyre helped establish the Franklin Area Climate Team. As a physicist, McIntyre is currently working to develop advanced equipment for use in the manufacture of computer chips. He holds seven patents and has authored more than twenty technical publications.
The clean energy plan "lays out an ambitious but practical framework to continue – and accelerate – the Commonwealth's transition to clean energy," said Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs-designate Rick Sullivan. "I look forward to maintaining this momentum as our state distinguishes itself as the national leader on clean energy and greenhouse gas emissions reductions."
The Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), signed by Governor Deval Patrick in August 2008, mandates the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, and requires the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs to set a legally enforceable GHG emissions limit for 2020 of between 10 percent and 25 percent below 1990 levels by January 1, 2011, and to issue a plan for achieving those reductions while growing the clean energy economy.
"Massachusetts has already taken great strides in energy innovation, sparking a clean energy revolution in the Commonwealth and getting us two-thirds of the way toward 25 percent lower emissions by 2020," said Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles. "I am confident we will meet the 25 percent limit I set today with a portfolio of policies that build on reforms made to date, launch practical new initiatives on a pilot basis, and generate cost savings and jobs."
In other business, the Franklin Democrats will continue reaching out to Franklin residents who are interested in running for one of the 35 positions on the town committee next March. Nomination papers will be available for signing at the September 12 meeting. The committee will also discuss the upcoming Senate race in Massachusetts and the current slate of candidates who are poised to take on Scott Brown in 2012.
The Franklin committee normally meets on the second Monday of the month in the training room on the third floor of the Franklin Municipal Building. For more information on the Democratic Party or any of their meetings, please contact Jeffrey Roy at jroy@ravechroy.com or check out the FDTC website at www.franklindemocrats.com.
To learn more about the Clean Air plan, go to http://www.mass.gov/green/cleanenergyclimateplan or http://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/.
So the thing about water oil spills is that they are very politically galvanizing. I mean, these pictures -- this is from the Santa Barbara spill. You have these pictures of birds. They really influence people. When the Santa Barbara spill happened in 1969, it formed the environmental movement in its modern form. It started Earth Day. It also put in place the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. Everything that we are really stemmed from this period. I think it's important to kind of look at these pictures of the birds and understand what happens to us. He we are normally; we're standing at the gas pump, and we're feeling kind of helpless. We look at these pictures, and we understand, for the first time, our role in this supply chain. We connect the dots in the supply chain. And we have this kind of -- as voters, we have kind of a "eureka!" moment. This is why these moments of these oil spills are so important. But it's also really important that we don't get distracted by the theater or the morals of it. We actually need to go in and work on the roots of the problem.
The Franklin Area Climate Team (FACT) is a locally organized group committed to fighting the climate crisis by promoting carbon-reducing practices in our homes and communities. We are an ever-expanding group of citizens from Bellingham, Foxborough, Franklin, Norfolk, Plainville, Wrentham, and other area towns.
How much does it cost to leave your TV on all day? What about turning your air conditioning 1 degree cooler? Which uses more power every month — your fridge or your dishwasher? Is your household more or less energy efficient than similar homes in your neighborhood?
Our lack of knowledge about our own energy usage is a huge problem, but also a huge opportunity for us all to save money and fight global warming by reducing our power usage. Studies show that access to your household's personal energy information is likely to save you between 5–15% on your monthly bill, and the potential impact of large numbers of people achieving similar efficiencies is even more exciting. For every six households that save 10% on electricity, for instance, we reduce carbon emissions as much as taking one conventional car off the road (see sources and calculation).
Read more on the Google Energy Information site here.
On any given day, municipal departments are just beginning, trying to begin, or trying to finish, time-consuming projects on a tight budget.
Today, the School Department can sit back a bit and start adding up all the savings wrought by the completion of 65 energy-saving initiatives, an effort that took 10 years to finish.
Michael D'Angelo, the facilities director for the schools and the town, takes pride in Franklin taking the lead in using technological advances early in the game.
"We were doing it before it was popular," said D'Angelo, who is constantly researching ways to make the schools as energy-efficient as possible - he's currently eyeing the installation of solar panels three years down the road, when he says they will be cost-effective.
"We're almost as technologically advanced as you can be, without getting into solar or wind," D'Angelo said.
Read the full article on how energy efficient Franklin's schools are in the Milford Daily News here
The new episode of "The Public Square" provides viewers with tangible ways to save energy this winter and throughout the year. You can watch the show on line whenever you like by visiting
We interview local residents Ryan Katofsky, Martin Lamonica, Glenn Koenig, and Marc Breslow to learn how they have reduced their carbon footprint and saved money. The interviews take place in each person’s home, giving viewers a first-hand look at the improvements they’ve made. Our guests share some simple, low-cost steps that every family can take to save energy. You'll also hear about ideas that require a larger investment, including installing solar energy systems.
The Green Energy Fair is a free event that will be held at the First Universalist Society of Franklin, 262 Chestnut St., on Thursday, Feb. 5. It will feature information from a Wrentham organic farmer, vendors selling green products and energy-saving tips.
The Global Warming Cafe will be held Sunday, Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m., at the First Universalist Church in Franklin. The cafe is open to the public and is an informal gathering to discuss global warming and how to stop it.
For more information about the low-carbon diet, logon to www.350.org.
To sign up for news of future FACT events, e-mail FranklinAreaClimateTeam@yahoogroups.com
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
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