Proposed legislation would end subsidies for wood-burning power plants in Massachusetts by removing biomass as an eligible fuel source for the Commonwealth's two primary clean-energy programs.

Currently, fuel from biomass plants is included in the Renewable Portfolio Standard and the Alternative Portfolio Standard, but environmental groups noted burning wood is more polluting than burning coal, and leads to major health impacts in surrounding communities.

Caitlin Peale Sloan, Massachusetts vice president for the Conservation Law Foundation, said subsidies for biomass need to end, especially as the need to reduce emissions grows because of threats from climate change.

"It's very important that now we clarify what we're calling renewable," Peale Sloane urged. "So that we can increase our subsidies of renewables without increasing combustion and additional climate impacts from carbon emissions."

Last year, the operating permit for a proposed Palmer biomass plant in Springfield was revoked because of its proximity to an environmental-justice community. Springfield has high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. A letter from more than 100 groups urged the Legislature to pass the bill, so biomass cannot be subsidized in any area of the state.

Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Springfield, one of the bill's co-sponsors, said the proposed plant was aiming to build in the middle of a densely populated neighborhood where many residents are immigrants, people of color or low-income.

He argued ending subsidies for biomass will help push back against the history of racism in where these plants have been put.

"The greater Springfield area has one of the worst asthma rates in the entire country," Lesser pointed out. "Part of the reason for it is this industrial legacy, and a legacy of pollution tied in certain respects to these power plants."

He emphasized moving forward, it will be important to ensure front-line communities hit hardest by the effects of climate change and pollution get the most focused protection from climate-mitigation efforts.

Naia Tenerowicz, a Springfield resident and environmental advocate, said while Massachusetts is a leader in the transition to net-zero emissions in many ways, subsidies for biomass set the Commonwealth back.

"The idea that biomass could be subsidized as clean energy, when it's polluting your community when it's making it harder for you and your loved ones to breathe," Tenerowicz remarked. "It's not something that I want to happen to anyone in any community."

Next week, elected officials in Minnesota, along with Latine and environmental organizations, will gather to discuss a recent delegation trip to Puerto Rico.

Participants said climate solutions they observed underscore the strength of grassroots work. The weeklong visit in the first half of August was led by Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action. Those who made the trip saw firsthand how certain areas are establishing climate resiliency in the wake of two large hurricanes that devastated the island in 2017.

Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega, DFL-St. Paul, who has Puerto Rican roots, was part of the delegation and said community-driven efforts really stood out.

"We have resources here in the states that they don't," Pérez-Vega explained. "They've managed to live without power, without water, without hospitals, and schools being shut down."

The delegation pointed to a mountain town developing a community-owned solar microgrid which stands a better chance of keeping the power on in a disaster. Officials hope such work inspires Minnesota community organizers to balance their grassroots responses to climate threats with calls for more equitable policies.

Next Tuesday's discussion will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the group's worker center in South Minneapolis.

Ryan Pérez, organizing director for the group Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action, said the trip also revealed more issues stemming from climate migration.

"We were really fortunate enough to visit a migration organization in Puerto Rico," Pérez recounted. "That organization actually addresses Dominicans and Haitians that migrate to the island because the conditions there are better than in the Dominican Republic and Haiti."

Pérez noted within Puerto Rico, there are some levels of discrimination toward those migrating to the island. He suggested while the Midwest faces its own climate threats, the Minnesota region could learn lessons about welcoming others who travel here to escape weather disasters from other parts of the world.

The L.A. area is about to get $12-million dollars from Bezos Earth Fund's "Greening America's Cities" initiative. One of the first projects will be the restoration of the Pacoima wash, which will make nature more accessible and help in the fight against climate change.

Amanda Pantoja, a sustainable communities advocate with GreenLatinos, has received $4.75-million to oversee many of the projects.

"There will also be projects to plant trees in Los Angeles. And that will help to sequester carbon and provide shade for the city," she explained.

Some of the funds will go to a community garden project near public housing, run by the East L.A. Community Corporation. The $400-million dollar "Greening America's Cities" program will also fund equitable and sustainable greening efforts in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Chicago, and Wilmington, Delaware.

Pantoja noted communities of color in L.A. bear the greatest burden of climate impacts linked to extreme heat and pollution.

"It's also tied to the lack of green spaces in these communities. In Los Angeles County, for example, there is a median of only three acres of park space for every 1,000 residents," she explained. "And that is half of the median for the entire nation."

A 2021 investigation by the L.A. Times found that wealthier, tree-covered neighborhoods can be as much as ten degrees cooler than low-income communities that have few trees but a lot of pavement and large buildings that absorb heat.

People's wallets continue to feel the impact of high food prices, and local environmental groups say sustainable food systems and regenerative farming are solutions that deserve support in the next Farm Bill. Lawmakers are currently at work shaping the legislation to replace the current Farm Bill, enacted in 2018 and set to expire this fall.

Hank Grady, a member of the Sierra Club Kentucky Chapter, explained relative to many other states, Kentucky is home to a large number of farmers working on more than 75,000 farms across the state, and said many producers are looking to transition away from the industrial farming model.

"We believe that in the short run and the long run, this will provide a better alternative and a healthier product than the industrial alternative," he continued.

According to the Sierra Club, certain soils also are effective at capturing carbon, but excessive tillage, overgrazing, erosion and overuse use of fertilizers in industrial farming have depleted their ability to reduce greenhouse gases and lessen the impact of climate change.

Grady said efforts to improve water quality have largely been left out of industrial agriculture, and added while the state's Agriculture Water Quality Authority is an innovative program, it has not gone far enough to help implement sustainable practices that keep local waterways pollution-free and provide healthy food.

"We would like to see it amended, so it not only attempts to protect water quality in Kentucky from agricultural pollution, but also protects soil and helps farmers build a healthier soil system - one that is not heavily reliant on chemicals and monoculture," he said.

According to the CDC, concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOS, poorly managed application of pesticides, irrigation water, fertilizer, overgrazing and overworking the land can all result in contaminated waterways.