News: POTUS comes to town

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

POTUS comes to town

Jul 20, 2022

THE HEAT IS ON — President Joe Biden will announce new climate change tactics today against the backdrop of a retooled coal power plant in a state sweating through its first major heat wave of the summer.

But he'll stop short of declaring the national emergency climate activists and Democrats including Sen. Ed Markey are calling for. The White House hasn't foreclosed on the idea, but said the president will deliver other remarks this afternoon on "tackling the climate crisis and seizing the opportunity for a clean energy future to create jobs and lower costs for families."

Biden is visiting the old Brayton Point power plant in Somerset as he hopes to jump-start a climate agenda stalled by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Republicans in Congress, and a Supreme Court that severely curtailed what he can do unilaterally on global warming.

"It's the perfect location for President Biden to focus on climate change because it's the former site of a dirty coal-fired power plant that threatened not only the climate but the health of the surrounding community," Brad Campbell, president of the Conservation Law Foundation, which spearheaded the effort to shut the plant down, told Playbook. "And now it's being transformed into a hub for the clean energy economy in New England as a major connection point for offshore wind."

A lot is riding on Biden's Bay State visit. Local officials said they hope the trip will put Somerset "on the map" in the increasingly competitive offshore wind field. Climate activists hope Biden will announce new executive actions to combat climate change: Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund's Casey Bowers suggested strengthening clean truck and car regulations or issuing new methane emissions standards.

The president's presence is also renewing activists' pressure on state lawmakers to wrap up negotiations over legislation that would strengthen the state's climate laws before the end of formal session next Sunday.

State Sen. Michael Barrett, one of the lead negotiators working to reconcile a House bill focused on offshore wind and economic development with a broader clean energy bill that emerged from the Senate, told Playbook he's "optimistic about our getting to yes" but that "high-stakes provisions, worth many millions of dollars to some and sure to cost consumers those very same millions, await resolution, so we're not home-free yet."

Lead House negotiator state Rep. Jeffrey Roy told Playbook "we are working hard to get it done" and that "we're proud that the president recognizes the potential that Massachusetts has to become a leader in the offshore wind industry."

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. A cadre of top Massachusetts pols will appear with POTUS today, including Markey, Rep. Jake Auchincloss and state House Speaker Ron Mariano.

Notably absent will be Gov. Charlie Baker, who returns later today from a Republican Governors Association meeting in Aspen, and Acting Gov. Karyn Polito, who will be chairing a Governor's Council meeting at noon, Baker's office confirmed.

TODAY — Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Katherine Clark, Ayanna Pressley and Lori Trahan host a fundraiser for the National Network of Abortion Funds at 7:30 p.m. Transportation Secretary Jamey Tesler, state Sen. Lydia Edwards, state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Boston city councilors attend the North Meadow on The Greenway ribbon cutting at 3 p.m. MWPC holds a Young Professionals Summer Soiree featuring state Rep. Natalie Higgins at 6 p.m.

DEBATES DAY — GOP gubernatorial hopefuls Geoff Diehl and Chris Doughty face off in a debate on Howie Carr's radio show at 6 p.m. Boston's Communities of Color hosts a series of debates with Suffolk County sheriff, district attorney and Second Suffolk state Senate candidates beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Hibernian Hall, moderated by WCVB's Karen Holmes Ward with the Boston Globe's Meghan Irons, the Boston Herald's Sean Philip Cotter, the Dorchester Reporter's Seth Daniels and your Playbook scribe as panelists. Democratic AG candidates participate in a JP Progressives forum at 7 p.m.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— DEPARTURES: Maria Robinson is joining the Biden administration after all. The Framingham state representative resigned from the House this week to serve as director of the newly created Grid Deployment Office .

Robinson was originally President Joe Biden's nominee for assistant secretary of energy in the Office of Electricity, but her nomination was withdrawn last month after a Senate panel deadlocked on her confirmation. Robinson said she's "thrilled" to be joining the administration and thanked members for their "ongoing support" in a tweet . With the Framingham Democrat eyeing the exits, lawmakers effectively erased her seat in last year's redistricting process.

— "Legislative leaders drop proposal to require medical examiner to personally review autopsies of young children, baffling supporters," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Facing opposition from Governor Charlie Baker's administration, Massachusetts legislative leaders dropped from its state budget plan language requiring that the state's chief medical examiner personally review and approve all autopsies of children younger than 2. The omission surprised the measure's proponents, who said it would inject a level of accountability into an office that has faced repeated criticisms in recent years for its handling of young children's deaths."

— "Advocates push to expand state subsidized health plan," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "A proposal included in the $52.7 billion state budget, which was sent to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk on Monday, calls for a two-year pilot expanding eligibility for ConnectorCare, the state's subsidized health insurance program."

— "New relief fund would buoy lobster industry," by Christian M. Wade, Daily News of Newburyport: "A proposed state fund would provide financial relief to commercial lobstermen whose livelihoods are being impacted by state and federal regulations aimed at protecting critically endangered north Atlantic right whales. Tucked into a $52.7 billion state budget awaiting action by Gov. Charlie Baker is a proposal to create a new grant program with $500,000 in initial funding."

— "'Things need to change.' For the next Massachusetts governor, housing challenges await," by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: "Fixing that [housing] crisis requires more construction, and yet municipalities — like Arlington — remain largely unwilling to allow new development when the decision is left to them. What the state needs, according to housing advocates, is a governor with a bolder action plan. Yet solutions to this crisis are not being discussed enough on the campaign trail, they worry, even as public polls consistently rank affordable housing as a top concern for voters."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "Full Orange, Red, and Blue line service unlikely to resume soon," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Service on the Orange, Red, and Blue Lines will probably continue at reduced levels beyond Labor Day and likely into next year because of hiring and training constraints for subway dispatchers."

— "Boston Mayor Michelle Wu asks MBTA to prioritize reforms outlined by federal officials, increase system reliability for city residents," by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: "Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called on state officials to prioritize reforms at the MBTA to reduce delays for city residents and increase reliability across the system in a Monday afternoon letter to the two lawmakers conducting a series of oversight hearings on safety at the transit system."

— "Photo shows deteriorated column at Haymarket Station that caused chaotic shutdown of MBTA service in June," by Taylor Dolven and Catherine Carlock, Boston Globe: "MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak, on Tuesday, for the first time, shared an image of the water-damaged support column inside subway tunnels near Haymarket station that prompted a chaotic shutdown of Orange and Green Line service there for several days last month."

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: MassEquality PAC has endorsed state Rep. Sarah Peake for reelection, per her campaign.

— CASH DASH: Andru Volinsky and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) are holding a virtual fundraiser for Quentin Palfrey next week. Tickets range from $27 for activists to $1,000 for hosts, according to an invite shared with Playbook. Palfrey, who trails his attorney general rivals in fundraising, is also getting an infusion of taxpayer money to help fund his campaign as part of the state's public financing program.

— "South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to back, campaign with Diehl in his GOP gubernatorial bid," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Kristi Noem, the South Dakota governor who is widely considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, will stump for Republican gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl next month, bringing a major GOP figure into what's been a fairly quiet primary. Diehl's campaign said Tuesday that Noem is expected to campaign with the former lawmaker on Aug. 10, as well as attend a fundraiser for Diehl at the home of car magnate Ernie Boch Jr. The announcement comes just days after Diehl's primary opponent, Chris Doughty, said he would host another out-of-state governor, New Hampshire's Chris Sununu, at his own August fundraiser in Peabody."

— "Andrea Campbell secures a key labor endorsement in Mass. attorney general race," by Simon Levien, Boston Globe: "The Campbell campaign on Wednesday announced the Service Employees International Union State Council's formal support, marking one of the largest union endorsements so far in the race for attorney general. ... Several other SEIU affiliates — including the National Association of Government Employees based out of Quincy and SEIU Local 888 in Braintree — have endorsed Liss-Riordan."

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FROM THE DELEGATION

— "Representatives Pressley, Clark arrested by police after protest outside Supreme Court," by Jess Bidgood, Boston Globe: "Representatives Katherine Clark of Revere and Ayanna Pressley of Boston were part a group of 17 Democratic lawmakers that was arrested by the Capitol Police on Tuesday during an abortion rights protest outside of the Supreme Court. … Both Clark and Pressley were given citations and had to pay a fine."

In other abortion-related news: Sens. Ed Markey, Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced the Right to Contraception Act to codify contraception access. Meanwhile, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) introduced the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act they say would protect access to reproductive health services by providing a "consistent and strong source of funding" for the Title X Family Planning Program.

— "In debate over who can get abortions later in pregnancy, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan leaves the issue to state lawmakers," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "The House and Senate are at odds over a singular word. In its bill, the House incorporated language permitting providers to pursue abortions later in pregnancy — after 24 weeks — in the case of 'severe' fetal anomalies, not just in the narrower circumstance of 'fatal' fetal anomalies. … Trahan, responding to a question about the debate in a WBUR interview Tuesday morning, said she 'fully expects' the two chambers will reach an agreement before the end of the legislative session on July 31."

— "47 House Republicans vote to write same-sex marriage into law," by Anthony Adragna, POLITICO: "Nearly 50 House Republicans voted to write same-sex marriage into law Tuesday, joining all Democrats in a heavily bipartisan vote that would've been considered unthinkable a decade ago. Democrats loudly cheered from their side of the chamber as the bill passed 267-157, with 47 Republicans backing it, including members of GOP leadership. ... The short bill, which faces an uncertain path in the 50-50 Senate, would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996 that defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. It would also require states to recognize same-sex marriages, as long as it was valid in the state in which it occurred."

TRUMPACHUSETTS

— "Pro-Trump store in North Attleboro closing this month," by Tom Reilly, The Sun Chronicle: "A store selling merchandise with a pro-Donald Trump theme and named after a not-so-subtle dig at President Biden is closing its doors. The Let's Go Brandon store on North Washington Street (Route 1) will close July 27, according to a posting on the company Facebook page."

DAY IN COURT

— "Unprecedented court ruling allows prisoners to challenge Mass. Parole Board's decisions," by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: "Massachusetts parolees have scored a victory as the Suffolk County Superior Court recently ruled that a Parole Board decision to extend a man's 30-year parole can be challenged in court. In the first decision of its kind, Judge Jackie Cowin denied the Parole Board's effort to dismiss the case, saying the court has the jurisdiction to review the process of ending parole. The state's Parole Board has been criticized for having an opaque process for terminating parole, leaving some people responsible to a parole officer for years or decades after they walk out of prison."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "'That would be huge': State agency may reconsider waterways permit for Weymouth compressor," by Jessica Trufant, Patriot Ledger: "A state adjudicator has agreed with what opponents of a controversial natural gas compressor station in the Fore River Basin have said all along: the facility did not need to be built near the water or in that location. Hearing officer Jane Rothchild of the state Department of Environmental Protection said the department should reconsider the Chapter 91 Waterways permit for the compressor station and whether the project should have been allowed to be built there."

MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND

— "McKee has lowest job-approval rating among governors, poll finds," by Edward Fitzpatrick, Boston Globe: "Governor Daniel J. McKee has the lowest job-approval rating of any governor in the country, according to a new Morning Consult poll. Just 38 percent of Rhode Island voters approve of McKee's performance, placing the Cumberland Democrat last among the 50 governors. Meanwhile, 43 percent of voters disapprove of his performance. … The Morning Consult poll showed Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and Vermont Governor Phil Scott tied for the highest approval rating, at 74 percent, followed by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, at 73 percent. All three are Republicans."

HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to corporation counsel and former state Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty, Krista Zalatores, Mass. native and POLITICO alum David Giambusso, and Judge Patti B. Saris.

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