The Race to Reopen

It’s mid-May and Massachusetts residents are eager to take advantage of some of the wonders that New England has to offer — activities that many of us had to forgo in 2020 — such as baseball games, camping trips, beach days, fireworks, and graduations. 

And now, the state of emergency put in place just over a year ago is coming to an end two months earlier than the Baker administration had originally planned.  

With few exceptions, we’re a week away from the end of the mask mandate in Massachusetts with most other emergency measures including business capacity and gathering limits officially ending on June 15. 

"The temporary limits and restrictions imposed on the private sector and on individuals were the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make," says Baker. "The loss and the isolation so many of our friends and families experienced is likely to impact all of us for a very long time."

Here is a list of places and situations that will still require face coverings after Memorial Day

Let us all rejoice and dig into this week’s curated list of Mass. political news.

Politics

Prominent Republican Figures Align With Trump Resistance Effort

The GOP is being ripped apart at the seams. There were lingering questions as to whether or not the wounds of the Big Lie and the Capitol riot were too big to heal. But now Republicans have answered those questions when they stripped Liz Cheney of her leadership position last week while moving a farcical Arizona recount into high gear. It’s now become painfully obvious that Trump’s grip on the party’s base is undeniable and that he now owns the Republican party.

The majority of Republicans are following Trump in lockstep as he works to exact revenge on his political enemies. However, a growing contingent of Republicans has banded together in a resistance movement. Among the 150 conservatives in the coalition is Former Governor Bill Weld.

Mitt Romney, another former Governor, is also helping to lead the resistance. Romney was recently awarded the JFK Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for his “consistent and courageous defense of democracy.” Romney was the only Senate Republican with the nerve to vote to convict Donald Trump on impeachment charges in 2020. In fact, Romney is the first senator in history to vote to convict a president of his own party.

And although his name is not on the list of 150 Republican signatories on an open letter to the party, Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker, who has been critical of Trump, said Wednesday that he continues to believe in the "core values" of the Republican Party. 

"I've had my differences, as everybody knows, with plenty of folks in the party over the course of the time that I've been in public life. But I'm a big believer in what the party fundamentally stands for, based on what I believe it stands for," Baker said at a press conference from the Norwood laboratory of COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Moderna.

According to recent polling, Baker is more popular with Democrats and independents than with voters in his own party. When asked if he agreed with Cheney that the Republican Party was "abandoning the rule of law and democratic principles" in fealty to Trump, Baker said Cheney was right in her defense of the election results.

"I made very clear that I felt the election process that took place back in November was fair, and that President Joe Biden won the election. And on these issues I believe Liz Cheney is absolutely right," said Baker, one of the few Republican leaders that didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 and 2020.

Last week, Baker took part in a bipartisan virtual meeting with President Biden and five other governors to discuss effective vaccination strategies. The following day, Baker said he has found governors to be less hyper-partisan than Washington politicians.

"One of the things I like about playing this role as governor is the fact that most governors will pick up the phone when you call them and help you try to solve whatever problem it is that you're trying to solve and vice versa because we have a lot of commonality on that, and I think in some ways it's something I wish there was a lot more of at the federal level," Baker said.

Read more at WBUR: Baker Says He Remains 'Big Believer' In GOP's Core Values After Cheney's Ouster

More Politics

• Child care tax credit, $571.2 million for UMass included in Senate $47.6 billion budget proposal

• Senate's $47.6B budget draws $1.55B from savings

• What does latest Census mean for Massachusetts politics?

• Baker Traveling to DC for COVID, Congressional Meetings

• Black women will be a force to be reckoned with in the 2022 midterm elections

• Biden picks angel Kelley for federal court opening in Massachusetts high schools return to in-person learning amid pandemic

Business

Massachusetts Launches Employer Vaccination Program

In an effort to expand vaccination efforts in the bay state, Massachusetts is launching an Employer Vaccination Program this week. The program lets companies reserve a block of time for their workforce at mass vaccination sites. 

Companies will also have the option of setting up a kiosk or table at the sites. And companies with 35 or more employees will be eligible for pop-up clinics at their place of business.

In order to take part in the program, employers must survey employees to confirm that they are willing to participate.

Read more at WCVB: COVID-19 employer vaccination program begins in Massachusetts

More Business

• Massachusetts senators seek to legalize sports betting in budget amendments

• 'A win for Massachusetts': Sec. of Commerce Gina Raimonda says American Jobs Plan will bolster business sectors rebounding from COVID

• Gunmaker Troy Arms relocating to Tennessee cites 'changing climate' in Massachusetts

• Union Nurses in Massachusetts Are Waging the Longest Current Strike in the US

• $300 unemployment benefit: Massachusetts businesses face labor shortage as laid-off workers 'happy taking benefits until Labor Day'

• Live theatre making its return to Massachusetts

Energy

It’s official. After hundreds of hours of public hearings and the review of more than 33,000 public comments, the federal Bureau of Ocean Management has given the green light to the Vineyard Wind project. 

Located 15 miles off the southern coast of Martha's Vineyard, the massive project is the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. The project is integral to Mass. efforts to become carbon neutral by 2050 and is expected to create thousands of jobs here in the bay state. 

Offshore wind is also a central part of President Biden's clean energy agenda. Biden is calling a staggering $2.5 trillion in spending on renewable energy projects over the next decade.

Construction will begin this year and start supplying power by 2023. Once completed, the facility is expected to power more than 400,000 Massachusetts homes and businesses. 

Read more at WCVB: Feds grant approval to 84-turbine Vineyard Wind project off coast of Massachusetts

More Energy News

• Massachusetts Kicks Off Third Offshore Wind Solicitation | Morgan Lewis - Power & Pipes - JDSupra

• State Energy Secretary Explains How Massachusetts Became A Leader On Climate Change

• Proposed Massachusetts power plant put on hold for 30 days

• Massachusetts gas price average jumps 5 cents, to $2.91

Transportation

MassDOT Chosen for NASA Development Partnership

NASA announced Friday that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division has been selected for the space agency’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Community Planning and Integration Partnership Opportunity. The program gives the MassDOT the opportunity to partner, collaborate, and exchange information with other agencies from Ohio, Minnesota, Orlando, and North Central Texas also chosen for the program. 

Many industry experts believe electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will be available later this decade. The program seeks to develop a green, quiet, and equitable mobility option for these next-generation air vehicles. 

MassDOT Aeronautics Administrator Dr. Jeffrey DeCarlo had this to say about the program:

“MassDOT Aeronautics is pleased to have been accepted by NASA for this partnership opportunity as we have been collaborating with other entities already in an effort to make the Commonwealth of Massachusetts an early adopter location for advanced air mobility operations. Massachusetts is looking to be at the forefront of early community demonstrations, policy solutions, and initial operations and we feel privileged to be working with team members who are true visionaries and global thought leaders from academia, industry, and government.” 

Information from NASA on the program can be found on their website.

More Transportation News

• Massachusetts exit renumbering project moves to Interstate 495

• AOPA opposes $1,000 'climate fee' for Massachusetts landings

• Top crash locations in Mass.: These intersections are most common spots for car crashes

• VTA unveils solar canopies

• Why Gas Prices Are Rising in Massachusetts and Could Go Higher

• MBTA completes three of seven weeks of accelerated work on Green Line B Branch Station Consolidation Project

• Why You Can't Get an Uber or Lyft in Boston Right Now

Real Estate

Alexandria Real Estate Equities closes $130 million purchase of the Watertown Mall

The Watertown Mall, just minutes outside of Boston, was purchased by Alexandria Real Estate Equities. The Mall houses 260,867-square-feet of shop space on 17.8 acres and, unlike most malls in the U.S. today which are turning into ghost towns, the Watertown Mall is 98% occupied and hosts more than 2.7 million customers annually. More than 344,000 residents live within a three-mile radius of the facility which is adjacent to the 1-million-square-foot Arsenal Yards mixed-use redevelopment project.

More Real Estate

• As housing prices continue to soar, is this now a bubble?

• IBM plans move to Lowell as it sheds real estate - Boston Business Journal

• Boston and Worcester named two of the best cities to be a real estate agent in 2021

• In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Local Control Means Restrictive Zoning

• Boston Had Sixth-Most Competitive Housing Market in April

• Watertown Mall sells for $130 million to Alexandria Real Estate Equities

Cannabis

Largest Marijuana Dispensary On East Coast Opens in Boston

Ascend, Downtown Boston’s first retail marijuana shop, had its grand opening Thursday. The 16,000 square-foot adult recreational dispensary is said to be the largest on the East Coast. 

There is limited parking in the area and customers are encouraged to use public transportation. Ascend is located on Friend Street, right near North Station and the TD Garden. Customers can order online for pickup or delivery and “budtenders” are standing by to answer questions concerning the shop’s menu of cannabis products.

Ascend is also planning to open dispensaries in New Bedford and Newton.

Check out CBD Local’s report here: Downtown Boston's First Retail Marijuana Shop Has Grand Opening; Said To Be Largest Dispensary On East Coast

More Cannabis News

• Cannabis commission eyes enhancements to social equity program, mentorships

• Massachusetts cannabis stores will soon be allowed to sell hemp products

• Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc.(IIPR) Acquires Pennsylvania Property and Expands Real Estate Partnership with Parallel

• AmeriCann Reports Record Quarterly Revenue and Positive EBITDA

• Cannabis community host agreements being exploited by some Mass. cities and towns

• Smokescreen: Mass. Lacks Transparency in Money Cannabis Firms Pay to Cities and Towns

• Massachusetts cannabis firms forced to pay $2.6 million in unlawful fees, study shows

• Curaleaf acquires Los Sueños for $67M, expands Colorado marijuana footprint

Our Uneven Progress

The mayoral race is simmering in Boston as the reopening of the state commences. Ironically, although the state suffers record-high joblessness, employers are having trouble filling newly opened position and the state’s hospitality industries continue to atrophy with hotels alone predicted to shed another 14,000 jobs this year. 

And for the masses of unemployed labor workers in the Bay State, one possible deterrent to job hunting is the generous unemployment benefits that have been doled out over the past year. 

In energy and transportation news, the state has opened up an RFP that, once awarded, will eventually double the state’s current wind generation. Also, the Fed is making billions of dollars in grants available for improvements and expansion to public transportation infrastructure. Both of these ambitious projects will create plentiful well-paying jobs.

Meanwhile, the state has begun to open up thousands of acres of agricultural land to hemp and marijuana growers, and a judge smacked down a federal eviction ban.

Let’s get inside and unpack this week’s news: 

Politics

Mayoral Candidate Jon Santiago On The Scrum

The Scrum, GBH News' political podcast, with Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis, has been hosting an ever-expanding roster of guests. In the latest episode, Jon Santiago talked about laying the groundwork to win Boston’s 2021 mayoral contest. (Former mayor Marty Walsh is off to Washington after being confirmed by the Senate to head the U.S. Labor Department.)

In the Scrum interview, Santiago expressed his hopes to land key endorsements from elected officials and also to win the support of labor unions. Santiago also made some revelations about his personal history. He said that he has no intention of criticizing former Mayor Marty Walsh’s stewardship of the city but he did criticize acting Mayor Kim Janey’s decision to delay Boston’s reopening.

Listen to the podcast here: Jon Santiago On The State Of the Mayor's Race, Marty Walsh's Legacy and Kim Janey's Tenure

More Politics

• Mass. Senate President Karen Spilka seeks input on intergenerational care

• The Massachusetts millionaire’s tax is back, and it’s a little different this time

• Massachusetts Passes One Of The First State-Wide Laws On Facial Recognition

• Massachusetts Plays Catch Up In Offering 'Early College' Courses In High School

Business

Business Leaders Press For Speedy Reopening As Hospitality Industry Continues to Shed Jobs

The Bay State is moving ahead with reopening plans this week. However, some business leaders are complaining that Gov. Charlie Baker isn’t moving fast enough and are asking that the current reopening timeline be moved up by about a month. Baker’s plan calls for Massachusetts’ to be fully functional again by Aug. 1.

“This is all about balance,” said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. “We’ve done very well on vaccinations and we need to start moving toward reopening. Worst-case scenario, I hope we’re at 100% by July 4th weekend.”

One of the big challenges now is getting people to come back to work after a nice, long, paid stay-cation. Although unemployment numbers are up nationwide, Mass. businesses are having trouble filling job vacancies.

Although service industry hirings are on the rise again, The American Hotel & Lodging Association projects that Massachusetts could lose more than 14,000 hotel jobs in 2021 due to ongoing reticence to travel post-pandemic. (That’s in addition to the nearly 17,000 hotel jobs lost in the state over the past year.)

All told, about 70% of the 43,000 hotel workers lost their jobs since 2019. In the wider hospitality and leisure industries, about 59% or 225,000 jobs were lost after emergency measures kicked in. That is according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

More Business

• Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates COVID-19 Business Relief Program, Awards Final Round of Grants

• Western Mass. expected to see busy summer for tourism, but picture more uncertain for Boston

• State Updates Tax Relief For Certain Businesses

• State sues marketing firm for role in opioid crisis

Energy

Mass. RFP Expected To Double Wind Output

This big news in Mass. energy this week: A 1,600-megawatt procurement will double the amount of energy Massachusetts utilities have under contract since a 2016 clean energy law kicked in. 

Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said this in a statement:

"This new solicitation will not only procure more affordable offshore wind energy for residents than ever before, but will also direct greater investment in economic development while requiring offshore wind developers to create comprehensive plans to ensure the Commonwealth's environmental justice and minority communities share equitably in the benefits of this growing industry." 

Currently, Vineyard Wind I and Mayflower Wind, are under contract to provide 1,600 megawatts. The new 140-page RFP seeks bids of "at least 400 MW and up to 1600 MW of Offshore Wind Energy Generation" and requires bidders to submit workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion plans, as well as potential impacts on environmental justice populations and host communities. Moreover, the nominal levelized price of any proposal must be less than $77.76 per megawatt-hour.

There seems to be a difference of opinion among stakeholders as to the numbers. Some claim the price cap should be set at the $77.76 per MWh price that DPU approved. Others such as National Grid are gunning for a lower $70.26 per MWh price cap.

Bids for the lucrative contract are due by Sept. 16. No preferred bid size has been specified. 

Here are numerous sources on this story:

• Massachusetts launches 1.6GW offshore wind tender

• Mass. sees more competition on offshore wind infrastructure

• Massachusetts opens 1.6GW offshore shoot-out

• Offshore Wind Pricing Plan Stirring Crosscurrents

More Energy News

• Avangrid sees Vineyard Wind approval coming, power onshore in 2023

• Agilitas Energy starts work on 3 MW/9 MWh lithium-ion battery for Rhode Island

• Clean energy roadmap not strong enough, activists say

• Largo Resources Picks Site for 1.4 GWh Battery Plant

• Stop & Shop's Green Energy Facility Marks Five Years of Turning Food Waste Into Sustainable Energy

Transportation

Sen. Markey Pitches Investments in N.E. Railways

“If we build it, they will come,” says Sen. Ed Markey who is pitching investments in passenger rail for Massachusetts and other under-connected communities across the Northeastern U.S. by reintroducing the BRAIN (Building Rail Across Intercity Networks To Ride Around Interior of the Nation) TRAIN Act. 

Under the proposed bill the U.S. Department of Transportation would create a competitive grant program offering up to $5 billion in annual grants to fund rail projects including the East-West rail effort to link Springfield and Western Massachusetts with communities stretching from New Haven to Buffalo.

This is in addition to President Biden’s $2 trillion American Jobs Plan which earmarks $85 billion to modernize public transit plus another $80 billion for Amtrak upgrades.

Rail expansions throughout the state will cost between $2.4 and $4.6 billion. Estimates suggest the investment could draw a quarter to a half-million new riders annually.

Read all about it at MassTransitMag.com.

More Transportation News

• Massachusetts Port Authority revisiting climate action plans | Local News | gloucestertimes.com

• A potential Red Line-Blue Line connector is back in the spotlight

• Advocates Say The BRAIN TRAIN Act Could Transform Massachusetts. Will It Pass?

• Regional Transit Authorities Win Funding Victory in House Budget -

• $1,000 Landing Fee Proposed For Massachusetts Private Aircraft

• Study Sees Big Financial Benefits For CT and MA From Improved Passenger Rail Lines

Real Estate

Federal Judge Strikes Down Eviction Ban

In his ruling on a lawsuit brought by real estate industry groups, a federal judge has struck down an emergency ban on evictions in the United States, putting millions of renters at risk of being ousted from their homes. US District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that the eviction ban clearly overstepped the authority of the CDC.

The Biden administration, which extended the ban originally instituted under the Trump administration, says it plans to appeal Wednesday’s decision.

This action is “the latest in a string of decisions that chip away at eviction bans that have protected renters, and frustrated landlords, for more than a year,” according to the report in the Boston Globe.

A similar eviction ban in Massachusetts expired in mid-October of 2020. 

More Real Estate

• https://patch.com/massachusetts/wakefield/bizposts/local-update/218753/ma-homeowners-eligible-for-3-252-mortgage-relief

• New home prices climbing higher with lumber business ‘crisis’

• Housing starts slowed in Greater Boston, Massachusetts in 2020

• Frenzied Real Estate Bidding Drives Mass. Home Prices Up

• MA home inspector warns buyers against waiving inspections

• Local Officials And Congressional Leaders Decry Investors Who Put Affordable Housing At Risk

• Hunt Real Estate buys All American Properties

• A Revamped Penthouse Loft Hits the Market at $2.9M in Boston, MA

Cannabis

Bay State Opens Up Agricultural Reserves To Cannabis

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has released guidance under a 2020 plan to allow cannabis and hemp cultivation on more than 73,000 acres of land belonging to the state Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) and Farm Viability Enhancement programs.

According to the agency website, the APR program, instituted in 1979, pays farmland owners the difference between fair market value and the agricultural value of their farms in exchange for permanent deed restrictions that conserve the land for agricultural use.

And according to the state website, the Farm Viability Enhancement Program provides business and technical assistance to farmers through grant funding in exchange for signing an agricultural covenant on the property.

In a document titled, “Hemp and Marijuana Production on APR and Farm Viability Protected Lands, Apr. 28, 2021,” the Mass. Department of Agricultural Resources writes:

“After reviewing these concerns and evaluating the evolving state of the law as it relates to the legalization of medical and adult use marijuana in Massachusetts and cultivation of hemp in the United States, the Department has been reviewing its policies related to hemp and marijuana and evaluating whether the Department may recognize such activities as horticultural uses in a manner consistent with the laws and intent of the APR Program.” 

More details are available at these fine hemp and cannabis industry news outlets: 

• Massachusetts Opens Up Hemp & Cannabis Cultivation on Protected Farmlands

• Massachusetts Farmland Unlocked For Cannabis Cultivation

• Massachusetts opens land for hemp farming

More Cannabis News

• Massachusetts sets marijuana sales records around 4/20 holiday

• The Grow-Off cannabis competition is coming to Massachusetts, putting a spotlight on craft and small growers - masslive.com

• Uber's interest in cannabis delivery highlights sector's potential and pitfalls

• What Is Biden's Beef With Cannabis?

• How High Are Taxes on Recreational Marijuana in Your State?

A Newer Normal

According to the 2020 federal census, the Massachusetts population has passed the seven million mark. Bay State residents now account for 0.1% or one one-thousandth of all humans on earth. And that number doesn’t include the state’s massive student population.

Things are looking up for most of those seven million as the state’s economy came roaring back in the first quarter of 2021, and at a much faster pace than the national average. That is according to economic analysts at MassBenchmarks. “Real gross domestic product in Massachusetts increased at an 11.3 percent annualized growth rate in the first quarter, compared to the 6.4 percent growth rate in the nation's economy,” they say.

This trend is expected to continue into the foreseeable future for a number of encouraging reasons. For starters, CDC data shows that New England is a national leader in vaccination rates. Witness the fact that mass vaccination sites are beginning to tear down as the state moves to a community outreach-style vaccination program. All the hard work is paying off as more than one-third of residents have been fully vaccinated and the state has seen its lowest single-day covid case count since November. 

Citing progress in the Battle of the Bend, Gov. Baker lifted the outdoor mask mandate on April 30th. And by May 10th amusement parks, water parks, and theme parks will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity, and ballparks, indoor stadiums, and arenas will be permitted up to 25 percent capacity — as long as social distancing is maintained. Road races and other large outdoor organized group athletic events will also be permitted, Baker said on Tuesday. The governor is gunning to have COVID restrictions fully lifted by Aug. 1.

Also happening this past week, the House passed its version of the state budget, and Massachusetts continues to be a national leader in alternative energy technology and cannabis banking. And, strangely, who would have ever guessed that the Commonwealth would actually welcome news of increasing traffic in Boston? File under “The New Normal.”

Now, let’s get on with this week’s Policy Note.

Politics

Massachusetts House Approves Its Version of Fiscal 2022 Budget

Last week we told you about the Mass. House of Reps. deliberation over more than 1,100 proposed amendments to the fiscal 2022 state budget. They seem to have ironed it all out and passed the plan on to the Senate for further deliberation. 

The proposed $47.7 billion spending plan aims to set the state on a path toward post-pandemic economic recovery and the shoring up of the state’s education systems plus $94 million in funding for regional transit authorities.

One of the amendments to the budget raises the state’s existing requirement for 4,000 megawatts of offshore wind power to at least 5,600 megawatts and requires electric companies to enter into long-term contracts for offshore wind power by June 30, 2027. The budget also includes $10 million in offshore wind career training.  which takes effect July 1. 

Read all about it at MassLive.com.

More Politics

• OTR: What does latest Census mean for Massachusetts politics? 1 HR – WCVB Boston

• Warren reflects on 2020 loss and gender in new memoir

• Fitch Rates Massachusetts' $600 Million GO Bonds 'AA+', Outlook Stable

Business

$28.6 Billion in Restaurant/Service Grants Up For Grabs — But Hurry!

Massachusetts restaurants and service businesses are now eligible for grants up to $10 million via the state’s new $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund. The program is part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. 

According to the National Restaurant Association, about 93% of Mass. restaurant workers were let go in more than 211,000 layoffs and furloughs. That’s about a 20% to 25% drop in 2020 according to Stephen Clark, vice president of government affairs for the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.

The following businesses are eligible to apply for the grants:

• Restaurants

• Food stands, food trucks, food carts

• Caterers

• Bars, saloons, lounges, taverns

• Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars

• Bakeries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)

• Brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)

• Breweries and/or microbreweries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)

• Wineries and distilleries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)

• Inns (onsite sales of food and beverage to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)

• Licensed facilities or premises of a beverage alcohol producer where the public may taste, sample, or purchase products.

With so many Mass. businesses in need of relief, the $26 billion is expected to dry up quickly. Applicants need to visit the Small Business Administration website.

Also of note, included in the House budget is an added $2 million for the Massachusetts Tourism Trust Fund. If the line item makes its way into the final budget it would bring the total to $7.2 million more than the previous year. It would also loosen restrictions on how much government funding regional tourism councils could receive. 

Again, MassLive.com has more on this story as well. 

Also read: How Massachusetts Restaurants Fared in the First Quarter of 2021 and Massachusetts tourism, cultural groups could see funding boost from Mass. House lawmakers

More Business

• These are the best hospitals in Massachusetts according to safety report

• Massachusetts Supreme Court issues confusing decision on Section 230

• Hotel industry group predicts slow job recovery

• Another class of biotech companies are about to go public in Massachusetts

Energy

Biden’s Moonshot Offshore Wind Ambitions Could Cut Electric Costs In Half by 2050

With President Biden floating a moonshot offshore wind project, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of Massachusetts Amherst estimate that the future costs of onshore and offshore wind combined could be cut by a third by 2035 and nearly halved by 2050. 

“We’re on the precipice of a revolution that we’ve been waiting for, for too long,” says Bill White, head of offshore wind at Avangrid Renewables, a partner in Vineyard Wind, the first scheduled major offshore wind farm on this side of the Atlantic. 

According to developers, Vineyard Wind will generate enough power for 400,000 homes and cut emissions equivalent to taking 325,000 cars off the road each year. Combined with Mayflower Wind, another 800 MW project south of Martha’s Vineyard, ratepayers will save $3.8 billion over the 20-year life of their contracts.

Take a long breath for a deep dive into this topic here: Biden’s new moonshot: An offshore wind industry to rival Europe’s

More Energy News

• Solar Power + Bees = Extra Benefit for Massachusetts

• Environmental justice advocates hold Massachusetts accountable

• Construction deal reached for $15m Massachusetts biomass project

• Some worry wind and solar will gobble up forests and farms

• On course to create a fusion power plant

• Utilities testing geothermal heating and cooling | Local News | gloucestertimes.com

• Environmentalists surprisingly divided over clean energy projects in Mass., Maine and elsewhere

Transportation

When Increasing Boston Traffic Is Good News

Who would have ever suspected that increasing traffic in Boston could be welcome news? It’s all part of the so-called “new normal” brought on by a global pandemic and subsequent emergency lockdowns. While sitting in traffic is never fun, the uptick in traffic is another promising sign that the Mass. economy is on the road to recovery. 

Although traffic has been increasing in the Bay State and in Boston, in particular, it hasn’t yet U-turned to pre-pandemic levels. Between March 29 and April 11, traffic volume was down between 5 and 14 percent from 2019 levels. That is according to the state Department of Transportation. Although that sounds bad, compare it to last April when traffic plummeted by about 60 percent.

The Boston Globe has this report: Traffic is getting worse in Massachusetts (but it's not back to pre-pandemic levels... yet)

More Transportation News

• Listen: What Biden's Infrastructure Plan Means For Transportation In Massachusetts

• Post-pandemic behaviors may dictate new transportation options - Boston Business Journal

• Massachusetts exit renumbering project moves to Interstate 93

• There's really nothing blocking the path to free buses

• MBTA Control Board commits to funding Transit Priority Group as part of FY22 budget

Real Estate

Home Prices Continue to Rise

Just when you think stock and crypto prices can’t go any higher… they do. And the same is now true for residential real estate here in Massachusetts. We’ve been telling readers for weeks now about how the Commonwealth’s homes market is blasting off. Home prices in the state are now well on their way to the moon. 

According to data from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR), the median sale price of a single-family home launched to $485,000 in March, up 16.9 percent from 2020. Condo prices are also on the rise, up nearly 7 percent, to $459,450. March saw 3,385 single-family home sales closed (up from 2,779 in Feb.) and 5,804 new properties listed in February (up from 3,393 in Jan.). Also, 1,922 condos were sold in March (up from 1,298 in Feb.). That’s 26 percent more than were sold in Mar. 2020.

President of MAR, Steve Medeiros said in a statement. “We're seeing a very busy, competitive spring market this year as more buyers line up and sellers are feeling more comfortable putting their homes on the market compared to this time last year,” adding, “While prices are increasing along with mortgage rates, we're encouraged by the increase of new listings and seeing some more inventory come on the market."

WBUR has this report: Frenzied Real Estate Bidding Drives Mass. Home Prices Up

More Real Estate

• Realtor: 4 things first-time Massachusetts home buyers need to do

• Standard Communities Acquires L.P. Interest in Boston Affordable Property, Increasing Its Presence in Massachusetts

• State weighs appeal of Superior Court decision on Boston waterfront - Boston Business Journal

• This Sudbury Home Costs More Than A Castle In France

Cannabis

Massachusetts Banks Lighten Up To Marijuana

Last week we told you how the U.S. House had passed the SAFE Banking act — again. Should it survive the Senate and be signed by President Biden, the measure would make it far less risky for banks to do business with marijuana-touching businesses by preventing federal agencies from penalizing those that offer financial services to cannabis concerns.

While the fate of the bill remains uncertain, banking is already becoming easier for Mass. marijuana. That is according to a report at the Boston Business Journal which says at least six financial institutions are now servicing the sector with at least one lending directly to cannabis clients.

Cases in point:

• In 2018, only three Mass. banks were open for business to the cannabis industry — Medford-based Century Bank, Swansea’s BayCoast Bank, GFA Federal Credit Union in Gardner. 

• Last month, Eastern Bank announced it would acquire Century and take over its cannabis division. 

• Recently, Northern Bank & Trust in Woburn announced it would be hiring a security deposit relations manager who would be tasked with growing the bank’s cannabis clientelle.

• Hudson-based Avidia Bank which is affiliated with a hemp and CBD payment company out of Arkansas has begun working with cannabis clients.

• Several financial institutions including BayCoast, GFA, and Century have been lending to real estate companies involved in the cannabis sector.

Steven Hoffman, chairman of the Mass. Cannabis Control Commission says that he continues to discuss the matter with at least three more banks starting due diligence around entering the industry.

“I know any bank that is servicing the cannabis business is taking some risk, given federal law,” Hoffman said. “I’m grateful for those who have stepped up because they have made an incredible contribution to public safety.”

The Boston Business Journal has more on this story.

More Cannabis News

• Ascend opens first recreational marijuana dispensary in downtown Boston

• Massachusetts opens land for hemp farming

• Top Massachusetts Court in a Haze Over Local Control of Cannabis

More of the Latest Massachusetts News

• Massachusetts Tops List Of The Best States For Working Moms, Study Says

• Massachusetts is one of the best pizza states in America, according to Food & Wine

• Massachusetts bars will no longer have to serve food in latest state guidelines

• Largest Software Development Firms in Massachusetts - Boston Business Journal

• Man engineers so-called 'perfect grass' seed: Made in Mass.

Positive Signs Continue for Post-COVID Massachusetts

With more than half of the population of Massachusetts now fully vaccinated, and the cleanup of the economic train wreck caused by the pandemic well under way, things are looking up for businesses in the Commonwealth. Another $30 million-plus in small business grants were handed out this past week while lawmakers try to decide how best to spend the reservoir of federal money that will be flowing into the state this summer.  

Over the past week, the House has been picking through the next budget and has scared up more than a thousand potential amendments to be debated and decided upon before the spreadsheets can be passed on to the Senate. With 1,157 proposed amendments, to be exact, it’s a lot of important work.

In other news, real estate in Massachusetts is on fire and setting price records as inventory becomes more and more scarce. With companies like Apple and Amazon planning to expand their footprints, Boston is fast becoming the San Francisco of the East Coast.

Also in this week’s news we’ll tell you about 12 of the top 10 greenest cities in Greater Boston and the recent passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of the SAFE Banking Act which could be a major breakthrough in federal cannabis policy reform. On top of that, you’ll find a couple dozen more links to other important stories impacting the Bay State this week.

So sit down and relax and dig in. This will only take a few minutes and then you can get on with your day.

Politics

1,157 Amendments Filed For House Budget Proposal

Last week we told you about the $47.6 billion budget plan proposed by the Massachusetts House. Items on the wishlist of nearly 1,200 amendments include earmarking of funds for public schools, social services, and local economies hit hard by the pandemic.

Right out of the gate, the House budget is $2 billion more than Gov. Baker’s proposed budget. Plus it’s a yearly tradition for lawmakers to pile on local funding proposals for their home districts.

Here are some of the amendment proposals as reported by MassLive.com:

• Funding increases for community centers, hospitals, volunteers and nonprofits who have helped Western Massachusetts residents navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• Relief to farmers and other businesses hit hard by the economic downturn.

• $100,000 to Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires, a Great Barrington-based clinic that serves seniors, immigrants and low-income residents without insurance. 

• $3 million to preserve the Rural Schools Aid funding for grants to cities, towns, regional school districts, county agricultural schools, vocational schools, and other schools.

• $40 million for districts that saw fluctuating enrollment numbers during the 2020-21 school year.

• An amendment to allow farmers to deduct 25% of the value of certain food donations as charitable contributions on their taxes.

• $30 million additional funds for the Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIC) program — $25 million to for-profit applicants and $5 million for nonprofit applicants — bringing the total up to $38.6 million.

• $500,000 for the UMass Center of Springfield. 

We won’t list the other 1100+ amendments here, but we’ll certainly update this story as it develops. 

More Politics

• Rollins still in running for U.S. ATTORNEY

• Asian Republicans Charge Massachusetts GOP With Discrimination

• Is Boston finally past tribal politics?

• Govs. Cuomo, DeSantis, Abbott and Newsom Have Middling Approval Ratings in Common

Business

$30.4 Million More In Grants Awarded To Bay State Businesses

Another $30.4 million in grants has been doled to more than 600 Bay State businesses — 100 of which have not received any prior aid — through the COVID-19 business relief program administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC). The grant program is part of the Baker-Polito Administration’s effort to foster economic recovery. 

This brings the grand total to over $680 in grants to more than 15,000 businesses across the state. Of the 600-plus recent grants, 126 were minority-owned, 115 woman-owned.

Last week, the Administration announced the award of 37 grants totaling $5 million to cities, towns, and non-profits through the Regional Pilot Project Grant Program. This week, the Administration awarded $1.6 million to 59 tourism organizations, chambers of commerce, and cities and towns through the new Travel and Tourism Recovery Grant Pilot Program.  

Also, as part of the Partnerships for Recovery 125 communities are working with consultants to be granted a portion of $9.5 million awarded through the Local Rapid Recovery Planning program. The state has also invested $21.1 million in municipal projects through the Shared Streets and Spaces program since June 2020.

Read all about it at ABC6.com

More Business

• Could Mass. make the film tax credit permanent? Proposal added to House budget

• Massachusetts has a ban on assault weapons. Some lawmakers don’t want them made here, either.

• Apple plans to add hundreds of jobs in Massachusetts over the next five years

• Business owners in MA call on lawmakers to address unemployment insurance hikes

• Bank of America pledges $1 million to King Boston efforts, the biggest corporate gift so far

Energy

The 12 Greenest Towns of Greater Boston

Out of 40 towns and cities within the 128/95 border, 12 have been dubbed the “greenest” of them all in a report by Boston Magazine. Municipalities were assessed on 19 indicators including “the percentage of the town or city’s fleet of ordinary passenger vehicles and light trucks are electric.” 

Communities received zero to five points for each indicator with a maximum possible score of 95 points. Actually, 12 municipalities made the Top 10:

10. Belmont (70 points) 

9. Salem and Brookline (tie 75 points) 

8. Lexington and Winchester (tie 76 points)

7. Somerville (77 points)

6. Melrose (78 points)

5. Medford (80 points)

4. Boston (81 points)

3. Newton (82 points)

2. Arlington (87 points)

1. Cambridge (90 points)

The full list of 40 cities and towns in the running can be found here. 

And a full list of the 19 green city indicators can be found here.

Check out the complete story at Boston Magazine. 

More Energy News

• Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s Executive Order Aims to Electrify Transportation, Buildings

• Baker-Polito Administration Files New Legislation to Improve Road Safety

• Mass. utilities: Gas plant would allow for more renewables

• Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s Executive Order Aims to Electrify Transportation, Buildings

• How Solar Energy Policies Could Help More Low-Income Residents

• CleanCapital: ‘Deploying energy storage is mission-critical to the energy transition’

Transportation

Sagamore Bridge Repairs Completed Ahead of Schedule, Bourne Bridge Next

Sometimes it seems like road repair work can go on forever. For a change, work to maintain the structural integrity of the Sagamore Bridge is getting done ahead of schedule. According to a report at the Boston Herald, all lanes on the Sagamore are now open. 

With that out of the way, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District will now move its equipment over to the Bourne Bridge and start repair work that had initially been scheduled for the fall. 

Starting Saturday, the Bourne Bridge will be reduced from two lanes in each direction to a single 12-foot lane in each direction 24 hours a day until Memorial Day weekend — just in time for summertime Cape traffic. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District said in a statement:

“Motorists planning to use the Bourne Bridge during this timeframe should be aware that travel delays are likely to occur during the morning and afternoon peak travel periods each day. Signs, traffic control devices and police details will be used at all times that work is being performed on the bridge.”

More Transportation News

• Seatbelt change, red-light cameras proposed massachusetts laws traffic

• MassDOT To Install Roundabout At Brockton Intersection

• Taking the 'Commuter' Out of America's Rail Systems - Governing

• In Transit Expansion, Don't Forget Bikes and Buses

• Study finds ride-sharing intensifies urban road congestion

Real Estate

Home Sales Continue To Set Records

Massachusetts homes are on fire — metaphorically speaking, of course. Home prices in the state have set records again in March according to the Warren Group, a real estate analytics firm. There were 3,849 single-family home sales in Massachusetts last month. That’s a four-year high for the month of March, and a 2.5 percent increase over a year ago. 

Those numbers would be even higher if the inventory wasn’t at its lowest point since at least 2004 according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. (That’s when the Association began reporting data.)

As a result of the lack of inventory, the median price for a single-family home jumped a whopping 14.4 percent from $402,000 in March of 2020 to $460,000, setting a new record for the month.

You’ll find an in-depth report at Boston.com. 

More Real Estate

• New England Stop & Shop portfolio sells for $295M - Boston Business Journal

• Developers vying to build on parcel just south of downtown

• Buyer Beware: Massachusetts Flood Disclosure Law Criticized

• The Davis Companies and Boston Development Group JV to Co-Develop 5-Acre Life Science Campus Near Watertown Square

Cannabis

U.S. House of Representatives Passes SAFE Banking Act

The U.S. House of Representatives signed off on a cannabis banking reform bill just in time for 4/20 — an annual day of celebration of human rights or another excuse to party depending on how it’s spun. 

The bill which is designed to protect banks from being penalized for working with state-legal marijuana businesses passed the House in a rare bipartisan vote of 321-101. The SAFE Banking Act has now been approved by the House four times since it was first passed in 2019.

Industry stakeholders are hoping that the bill passes while the democrats have control of both branches of Congress and the White House. Although Democrats now hold a thin majority in the Senate, its passage there is not guaranteed, nor is Biden’s signature. And if Republicans regain control of either the Senate or the House in 2022, the chances of passage are even slimmer.

Federal cannabis policy reform is a long time coming and banking is, by far, the largest source of friction for the cannabis industry. David Torrisi, president of the Commonwealth Dispensary Association, says that access to banking and capital is “probably the largest barrier of entry for getting into this industry.”

This issue is no longer just a regional matter. Medical marijuana is now legal in 36 states, seven of which also permit adult recreational use. Most banks are reluctant to do business with cannabis concerns due to the drug’s Schedule I status over at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. As a result, many marijuana dispensaries are forced to operate on a cash-only basis, even paying their taxes with a truckload of cash. 

(To be fair to the DEA, DOJ, FBI, et al, they were only doing their job. Only Congress can repeal the federal prohibition of marijuana and they’ve been dragging their collective feet for half a century.)

The SAFE Banking Act, should it pass, will shield banks from penalties — such as racketeering charges — for working with marijuana companies. 

Marijuana Moment has a full report.

More Cannabis News

• Ex-Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia's trial, implications for Mass. marijuana business

• With marijuana legal in New York, and other states close behind, will Mass. dispensaries along state borders survive?

• The 96-year-old co-founder of this Massachusetts cannabis dispensary wanted to give people jobs and 'a better way of life' - masslive.com

More of the Latest Massachusetts News

• ‘Snobs and proud of it!’: Boston.com readers react to Mass. being named snobbiest state

• Free stuff you can get by flashing your coronavirus vaccine card

Creating a Much Brighter Outlook

Massachusetts leads the nation in a lot of fundamental benchmarks, but apparently being a nice place to live isn’t one of them. The Bay State has landed in lowly 31st place in a recent YouGov survey on the best U.S. states. However — in our own defense — the study wasn’t very scientific. In fact, it was more of a personality contest, really. 

On the positive side, the state saw its lowest week of unemployment claims since the you-know-what began 13 months ago. But businesses across the state are being hammered by an increase in unemployment tax. And they’re not going to take it sitting down.

Also this past week, the House produced its fiscal 2021 budget, creating a much brighter outlook for post-pandemic government operations than previously expected. We’ve also got interesting news about the state’s potential to become the nation’s leader in offshore wind energy, the 350-foot tower going over the Mass Pike near Fenway, another pot shop unionizing in the Bay State, and the recent derailment at the MBTA is keeping new subway cars out of service.

And as usual, we’ve curated dozens more of the most important news stories related to politics, business, energy, transportation, real estate in Massachusetts. You’ll find links at the end of each section. 

And here we go...

Politics

House Budget Teed Up For Debate Next Week

The freshly unveiled House budget proposal calls for $47.6 billion to be spent over the course of fiscal 2021. That’s nearly $1.8 billion more than was recommended in Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposed budget — an overage of nearly four percent and proposed spending is 2.6% higher than the previous budget. 

The plan has two major priorities — helping residents who have been set back by the pandemic and creating jobs. That is according to House Speaker Ronald Mariano who spoke to reporters Wednesday. The plan also included a nearly $220 million increase in Chapter 70 education aid to school districts and creates a $40 million reserve fund also earmarked for schools.

Mariano warned that current revenue projections are more than $1 billion below what they were in January of 2020. On the other hand, the budget leaves some reserves in the state’s $3.5 billion “rainy day fund” and also doesn’t factor in $4.5 billion in federal aid expected to arrive later this year. The plan doesn’t include any major changes to the state’s tax code. 

The House will debate the budget and make any changes before it then heads off to the Senate for more massaging. Once both legislative bodies have approved their respective budgets a six-member committee made up of three House and three Senate members will hammer out the final concessions. It then heads to Gov. Baker who can sign it outright or issue line item vetoes which lawmakers may override. 

More details on the budget can be found here.

Meanwhile back in Washington, the federal government recently gave its opinion on where money needs to be spent in the Bay State. The state received a C-minus on its infrastructure report card. Here are some of the findings from that report:

• 472 bridges and more than 1,194 miles of road in Massachusetts are in disrepair. 

• Commute times have risen by 10.9% in Massachusetts since 2011.

• Drivers are paying an average of $620 per year for wear and tear on their vehicles as a result of driving on poorly maintained roads. 

• Public transportation costs an extra 52.9% of commuters’ time. (Non-white households are twice as likely to commute via public transportation.)

• 23% of public transportation vehicles in the state are out of date.

• $12.2 billion in additional funding will be needed over the next 20 years to improve the state’s drinking water infrastructure. 

Patch has more info on the federal infrastructure plan.

More Politics

• Here's what's in President Biden's Infrastructure Plan for Massachusetts, including improvements to drinking water system

• Massachusetts pols ramp up pressure on Biden over student debt, expanding Supreme Court. Will it work?

• Ben Downing on the Massachusetts climate law and his own clean energy plan

• A Mass. regulator says a local political couple and a party chair may have violated campaign finance laws

• Wunderkind Ex-Mayor to Face Jurors in Fraud, Bribery Case

• Jake Auchincloss is introducing his first bill as a member of Congress

• Holyoke Soldiers’ Home one step closer to reconstruction after House passes $400 million bond bill

Business

Unemployment Insurance Solvency Fund Rate Up 16-Fold Since Pandemic

The Retailers Association of Massachusetts sent a nice letter to Gov. Charlie Baker and the state legislature. They’re politely asking about the projected $4 billion-plus deficit in the state Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and the recent massive increases in the employee contribution rate on state tax notices. 

All Mass. employers are looking at higher tax bills to offset the historic unemployment-related debt. RAM President Jon Hurst, Massachusetts Restaurant Association President Bob Luz, and the heads of 17 Bay State chambers of commerce signed the letter.

In the letter, Hurst et al suggest that federal aid be earmarked to repair the deficit in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. However, the CARES Act funds come with lots of strings attached making that solution a bit tricky. Federal guidance on relief spending is expected in mid-May.

In an attempt to ease the pain, lawmakers have authorized $7 billion in borrowing. The Baker administration is also delaying the UI tax payment deadline to June 1 so that state officials can address the nearly 16-fold ballooning of the solvency fund rate which increased from 0.58% to 9.23% due to the pandemic.

The good news is that Massachusetts just had its lowest unemployment rate since the beginning of the pandemic. And nationwide, seasonally adjusted initial claims dropped by nearly 200,000, down from 576,000 the previous week. And according to data from Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights initiative, two million Massachusettsites are now fully vaccinated and consumer spending is up 18% over January 2020.

More Business

• White House gives Massachusetts a C- grade on infrastructure report card

• Massachusetts looks to bar Robinhood in state; company sues

• Massachusetts wants to pull the plug on Robinhood

• 'You feel like you keep getting hit': Massachusetts businesses that survived COVID feel 'penalized' by unemployment tax hike 

Energy

A little over a decade ago, in a big bet in offshore wind power, MassCEC built the Marine Commerce Terminal — a staging area the size of 22 football fields designed to withstand the weight required to assemble offshore wind turbines. It’s the only staging area of its kind in the country. According to a report by WBUR, MassCEC is a “quasi-governmental economic development agency, with a mission to spur the growth of clean energy jobs and infrastructure in the state.” 

The key takeaway from the report:

“This week, MassCEC's bet may finally start to pay off. The federal government is expected to make a major decision about Vineyard Wind, the first large-scale wind farm in the United States, slated to be built off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. The ruling represents the last big obstacle the project needs to overcome before construction can begin.

This long-awaited decision could pave the way for a massive offshore wind industry not just in Massachusetts, but also up and down the Atlantic Coast.

While they await the decision, the New Bedford terminal has been leasing the port to other marine cargo operations. The facility has also been a staging ground for terrestrial wind and solar projects.

If the federal government gives the go-ahead, Vineyard Wind is positioned to become the first biggest offshore wind farm in the U.S. with 62 turbines about 12 miles off Martha’s Vineyard island. The facility will produce enough electricity to power 400,000 homes.

Read all about it over at WBUR’s website.

More Energy News

• Ben Downing on the Massachusetts climate law and his own clean energy plan

• ENERGY TRANSITIONS: A farmer's fight for solar reveals a U.S. land problem

• New rules require more efficient biomass energy plants 3h ago

• Baker Administration Would Block Renewable Energy Credits For Springfield Biomass Project

• ENERGY TRANSITIONS: 3 battles could remake the oil and gas industry

Transportation

New MBTA Trains Out of Service For 3 More Weeks 

Last month, one of the MBTA’s newest trains derailed. It’s not clear if the incident should be blamed on the train or the track. Nonetheless, the fleet of shiny new Orange and Red line cars will remain out of service for at least three more weeks while this all gets sorted out. 

The train involved in the incident was traveling slowly when the third car on the train derailed with about 100 passengers on board. No injuries were reported. The track was replaced and trains are now running again between Sullivan Square Station and Oak Grove. 

Also Monday, MBTA officials discussed plans to spend $2 billion on repairs and upgrades in the next fiscal year.

More Transportation News

• Massachusetts Offers Opportunities For Stakeholder Engagement To Address Transportation Emissions

• Officials in Worcester agree, public transportation is a ‘lifeline’ for the community, so why is it in such ‘rough shape’?

• Shared bus-bike lanes, multimodal improvements completed in Lynn, Mass.

Real Estate

Boston’s World Class Skyline To Undergo Renovation 

The Fenway Center project to build a massive 350-foot tower over the Massachusetts Turnpike between Beacon Street and Brookline Avenue is underway. Developers have paid $55 million to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for “air-rights” for the structure, according to the Boston Globe. 

The complex will feature not just commercial space but also green space and walking paths over the highway. The project will significantly change the view for commuters entering the city from the West. 

The first phase of the project is to build a $200 million steel deck to act as a foundation for the monstrous structure. It’s going to take two years just to build the deck. Meanwhile, one lane will be closed on the Mass Pike in each direction.

More Real Estate

• Housing market has even the pros asking “are these prices even realistic?”

• Massachusetts amid white-hot real estate boom

• Million-dollar homes and cutthroat bids: Inside Brookline's hot real estate market

Cannabis

Employees of Marijuana Dispensary In Hanover Unionized

After a year of haggling, employees of a Curaleaf medical marijuana dispensary in Hanover, Massachusetts, have voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local Union 328. The Union says it’s currently negotiating a contract with Curaleaf. 

There has been a recent trend toward unionizing cannabis dispensaries in other states as well including an MMJ grower in Rhode Island and another cannabis cultivation and processing facility in Massachusetts.

MJ Biz Daily has a report.

More Cannabis News

• Jennifer Flanagan announces she’s stepping down from Cannabis Control Commission

• These Massachusetts cannabis dispensaries are celebrating 4/20 with events, specials and more

• Western MA not afraid of cannabis competition from NY - yet

• Cannabis Central Mass. Worcester marijuana business cultivation towns

• Jushi Enters Massachusetts Market with $110 Million Acquisition – New Cannabis Ventures

• CT investor strikes two-state facilities deal with cannabis operator

• The Davis Companies Buys a 4-Property Flex Portfolio for $44.25 Million

More of the Latest Massachusetts News

• Tips to score a vaccine appointment as Massachusetts opens up vax eligibility to 16-plus

Post-Pandemic Budgeting

The Massachusetts state budget will be the primary concern this week. Tax revenues are exceeding expectations, gas taxes are dwindling, and some cities may be putting the screws to local cannabis operators. The tourism and hospitality sector is battered and bruised, while heads are spinning at real estate development concerns along coastal Massachusetts due to last week’s blockbuster ruling on harbor front development. 

Meanwhile, Ben Downing, candidate for governor, wants to put the pedal to the metal on the state’s emissions reduction goals.  

Politics

Lawmakers To Unveil Fiscal 2021 Budget as Tax Collections Exceed Expectations

Excitement is mounting for the unveiling of the budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year because 2020-2021 has been full of big surprises. The most recent surprise is that Massachusetts tax collections have once again exceeded the state’s expectations and this month’s debate in House of Representatives may center around how the Commonwealth can emerge fully funded from the COVID19 pandemic.

Here are some tax numbers being crunched on Beacon Hill:

• The Department of Revenue reported over $3 billion in tax revenue for March. That’s $402 million or 15.1% higher than the previous month.

• The state collected nearly $22.6 billion this fiscal year. That’s about $1.5 billion or 7.2% higher than in fiscal 2020.

• Corporate and business tax collections in March exceeded $1 billion. That’s $274 million above the state’s projections. 

• The state collected $562 million in sales and use tax revenue. That’s about $95 million more than expected. 

• The state collected $66 million in meals tax revenue. That’s nearly one-quarter more than expected.

• Income tax collections were $1.26 billion. That’s about $178 million above projections.

• Income tax returns and bills totaled $152 million in March. That’s $63 million above benchmark but 4.6% below the state’s expectations. 

• The state reported $399 million in refunds (so far this tax season). That’s $19 million less than expected. 

Unknown at this time is how $4.5 billion in federal funds will figure into future spending as the revenue is not accounted for in the budget plans. This is because the U.S. treasury has yet to develop full guidelines on how the money should be spent. More details are expected within the next month. 

Lawmakers will be unveiling the new budget on Wednesday, April 14. 

MassLive.com has more details on the budget.

More Politics

• Massachusetts lawmakers seek to boost public education funding beyond Gov. Charlie Baker's budget plan

• What should Mass. learn from COVID? Lawmakers to discuss state’s future in hearing

• Reimagining Massachusetts Committee talks to South Shore business owners

• State senator, MassGOP chair may have violated campaign finance rules, OCPF says

• Markey calls to expand Supreme Court as other Massachusetts pols wait on Biden commission

• Charlie Baker not yet ready to decide on third term as Massachusetts governor

• Boston City Council Endorses State 'Millionaires Tax'

• Growing number of moms run for school committee in the wake of COVID

Business

Tourism and Hospitality Sectors Plead For Pain Relief 

No other sector of the Bay State economy has been so brutally beaten down by the pandemic than the state’s tourism and hospitality sector. And the beatings will continue until morale improves — as they say. Experts are predicting a slow and painful recovery. That is unless the state can provide some measure of relief by inoculating the sector with additional funds. 

At a recent hearing by the Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development Committee, lawmakers heard from groups representing restaurants, hotels and motels, cultural organizations, event venues and tourism promotion. Each told stories of widespread losses as stay-at-home, the gathering limits, and the massive drop in customer spending forced closings and employee furloughs of biblical proportion. 

Martha Sheridan, president of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau had this to say:

"We're not going to be able to wish, pray and hope our way out of this pandemic. The only way we're going to get out of it is if we remain competitive and invest strategically in tourism promotion."

So far the state has awarded more than $650 million in relief grants to about 14,400 businesses. And cultural nonprofits received almost $10 million through a separate grant program in January. 

Also, according to NBC Boston, another $16 billion grant program was announced on Thursday. The fund is earmarked to “assist live venue operators, theatrical producers, live performing arts organization operators, museum operators, movie theater operators and talent representatives affected by mandatory closures.”

Furthermore, bill (SD 2105) would divert at least $200 million from the coming federal stimulus package to help cultural organizations recover.

Industry leaders say it’s not enough and are asking lawmakers to dig deeper. They also asked the state to develop a clearer timeline for lifting of business restrictions.

Some soothing news: Overall, Mass. business confidence has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Learn more about this issue at NBC Boston.

More Business

• 'Jaw-dropping': Unemployment tax bills skyrocket for many Mass. businesses - Boston Business Journal

• Some Massachusetts employers still face major tax increases due to COVID-related unemployment claims

• Mass. business confidence jumps to prepandemic levels The Boston Globe

• Mass. Employer Confidence Widespread Heading Into Spring

Energy

Gubernatorial Hopeful Downing Offers Suped-Up Climate Plan

Ben Downing, who has been working in the renewable energy sector in 2017, has announced his plan to combat climate change. 

According to Downing, the state should be aiming at 100% clean electricity by 2030 with the rest of the state’s energy needs to be 100% clean by 2040. And, of course, the recent omnibus climate bill calls for net-zero emissions by 2050. 

For one thing, Downing is calling for a doubling of the Mass Clean Energy Center budget. According to Downing:

“MassCEC has been sort of the hub of new technologies in Massachusetts, going back to the earlier days of solar, more recently, around energy storage and business models there. We know we're going to have to not only deploy more renewables, but continue to think about new ways to ensure access to renewables across the economic spectrum and to come up with new innovative models for making the overall system work more efficiently, more effectively. Supporting MassCEC is the simplest way to do that. But we need to continue to think about other ways to do it as well.”

Read and listen to the full interview with WAMC.org. Or check out this report at MassLive.com. 

More Energy News

• SPI Energy to buy 6.5-MW solar-plus-storage project in Massachusetts

• Massachusetts's New Climate Law: 5 Reasons to Celebrate!

• Massachusetts Wind, Solar, Energy Storage And Fuel Cell Property Tax Reform Enacted As Part Of Climate Bill - Energy and Natural Resources - United States

• Massachusetts Wind, Solar, Energy Storage and Fuel Cell Property Tax Reform Enacted as Part of Climate Bill

• Opinion: Making solar incentives work in Mass.

• Massachusetts politicians push to shutter Weymouth gas compressor station after third unplanned release of gas

Transportation

The Problem With More Energy Efficient Autos: A Dwindling Gas Tax

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers the average driver in Massachusetts at 42 cents a gallon spends $620 a year in gas taxes. That money goes toward road maintenance. This has been going on since the 1950s. The problem is, while expenses for maintenance are on the rise, gas tax revenue is slowly dwindling as autos become more and more efficient. What to do? 

According to a report by Boston 25 News, Mary Maguire of AAA Northeast says this isn’t sustainable. And Steve Pociask of the American Consumer Institute thinks we need to come up with a new fee system.

One of the potential solutions being bandied about is a tax rate based on the type of vehicle and the miles driven. Trucks would pay more. Economy cars would pay less. 

Matt Casale of MassPirg, who specializes in transportation and climate issues, says: 

“The beautiful thing about a vehicle mileage travelled fee is you can structure it anyway you want. If used properly, a VMT or some other user-based system for driving, could make it easier to get where you need to go by fast bus or train, or it could improve the condition of the roads and bridges so you you’re not hitting as many potholes and you don’t need to spend as much on vehicle maintenance.”

The rates could also be structured in such a way as to create disincentives to drive gas guzzlers and offer incentives to trade in your old stink tank for a zero-emissions vehicle. 

Read all about it at Boston 25 News.

More Transportation News

• Biden wants to spend billions on transportation infrastructure. What's in it for Massachusetts?

• Report outlines ways Massachusetts could transform state transportation infrastructure

• As MBTA, Transit Agencies Nationwide Consider Service Cuts; Pressley, Markey Re-Introduce Bold Legislation to Fully Fund Fare-Free Public Transit

• Massachusetts RMV implements inspection sticker grace period as service will remain offline through at least Friday 

• Sagamore Bridge lane closures begin

• A closer look at Boston's free public transport trial

• Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation Market Upcoming Demand And Growth Analysis by Players 

Real Estate

Recent Ruling on Boston Harbor Tower Will Have Far-Reaching Consequences

Last week we told you about the developers of a 600-foot tower on Boston Harbor looking over the New England Aquarium out to the Boston Harbor. We told you how their hopes and dreams were dashed by Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Brian Davis who ruled in favor of The Conservation Law Foundation and Harbor Towers apartment residents in a lawsuit seeking to block the proposed redevelopment. In a strange twist, the judge ruled that the zoning laws under which the plan was approved were themselves approved by the wrong state official in 2018. This has now sent a shockwave through the real estate development community. 

The problem is that the ruling could very well affect other developments approved under similar zoning plans — and not just in Boston, but from Gloucester to New Bedford to Provincetown. 

This is a fascinating story with far-reaching consequences that we won’t even begin to try to unpack here. But there’s a deep dive on recent developments at Boston.com.

More Real Estate

• Readers share what it's like to go house hunting in Mass. - Boston.com

• MA Real Estate: Spring Housing Market Heats Up

• Global Gate Capital and Berkeley Investments Acquire Converted Mill Buildings in Lawrence, MA

• Tewksbury Real Estate Developer Charged With Tax Evasion

• What to know before investing in real estate

• Massachusetts home where Lizzie Borden's parents were killed finds buyer

• MA Homeowners Can Benefit $3,252/yr With Mortgage Relief - Wayland, MA Patch

Cannabis

Mass Grower Advisory Council Says Some Cities Are Too Greedy

In the five years since recreational marijuana became legal in Massachusetts 122 dispensaries have opened in the state. Sales have grossed $1.45 billion since Nov. 2018. And more than $90 million in sales tax has been collected.

However, a recent report by the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition and the Massachusetts Grower Advisory Council claims that 79% of the state’s host community agreements require excessive fees and “voluntary” donations for third-party charities. 

To the Massachusetts Grower Advisory Council, that’s a problem. It could result in excessively high barriers to entry for the little guys. It also helps keep black market pot prices competitive. 

MGAC has petitioned the courts, asking that the Cannabis Control Commission be given authority over municipal agreements, instead of cities and towns.

For in-depth coverage of this story visit BizJournals.com.

More Cannabis News

• Mass. Cannabis Control Commission launches revamped website

• Legal weed still uncertain in Connecticut this year, despite momentum in New York and New Jersey

• Massachusetts marijuana retailer challenges community impact fees

• First Black Woman-Owned Cannabis Dispensary On East Coast Opens In Massachusetts

• Northeast Regulators Talk Cannabis, Real Estate, and Regional Collaboration

• Worcester’s first equity cannabis shop, New Dia, plans to open retail store by Fenway Park

• Big tobacco is coming for legal marijuana

More of the Latest Massachusetts News

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• Toughest Golf Courses in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Memory Loss

Anyone who has been around for more than a few decades knows that American voters have two glaring health problems — they experience severe memory loss and are badly near-sighted. These ailments are exacerbated by the fact that over the past 50 years, the news cycle has gone from days or weeks (pre-cable and internet) down to literally just moments via social media and 24/7 cable news. 

For example, in February, Gov. Charlie Baker was touted as one of the most beloved governors in the U.S. Then in March, as the top news story in the Bay State became the roughshod rollout of the state’s vaccination program, voters forgot how much they loved Baker and his approval rating took a sharp dive. Now, In April, as the news of a buggy vaccination appointment website fades into amnesia, Baker’s approval rating is pretty much back where it was.

As a country, we forgot the lessons learned during the 1918 pandemic. And we lacked foresight. We were too busy worrying about a toilet paper shortage coming in a week to see that the world was about to change for decades to come. 

Thankfully, however, there is a silver lining. Americas’ vision and memory seem to be improving as a direct result of the pandemic. We’re becoming more farsighted. We’re waking up to problems we’ve all but ignored for decades. We’re now addressing issue sets like human rights, greenhouse gas emissions, and a crumbling infrastructure (not to mention a crumbling middle class) --  and we’re doing it with more energy and fervor than we’ve seen in over a half a century. 

Signs that our memory and vision are improving here in the Commonwealth include the launch of two landmark pieces of legislation — a climate bill aimed at achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, and a transportation bond bill that will bring about big changes to the state’s transportation infrastructure and job market for decades to come. 

These actions may be a reaction to the pandemic, but it’s widely agreed that they are paramount to the future of our communities. It may not matter how they came to be, just that they got done.    

Let’s unpack this week’s news: 

Politics

Democrat Wins DeLeo’s Seat, Sen. Chang-Diaz Teases Run For Gov.

After a low-turnout special election, it looks like Jeffrey Turco will be taking the seat left vacant by the departure of former Democratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo. The news media’s spin on the story is that the Massachusetts attorney — a Democrat — voted for Donald Trump in 2016. We would link you to a full report, but that’s pretty much the gist of the media’s take on this story. 

In other Mass political news, it looks like Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz might be running for governor of Massachusetts next year. The media spin on this story is that she has been one of the more vociferous critics of Gov. Charlie Baker’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. 

However, we know a little bit more about Chang-Diaz. She was the first Latina to win a seat in the Massachusetts Senate in 2008 and is currently chair of two joint committees in the House: the Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights and Inclusion; and the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy.

Former state Sen. Ben Downing was the first Democrat to formally announce a run for governor. Attorney General Maura Healey’s name is also being tossed around as a possible candidate. Baker, himself has yet to say whether he will run for a third term in 2022.

WBUR has summed up the current state of affairs on the marathon race for Mass. governor in their report titled, “It's 'Maybe' Season In The Mass. Governor's Race.”

More Politics

• Gov. Charlie Baker signs unemployment insurance bill that includes PPP loan tax benefit

• Democratic state senator weighing run for governor in 2022

• Gov. Charlie Baker signs unemployment insurance bill that includes PPP loan tax benefit

• Study says Massachusetts ‘millionaires tax’ wouldn’t just hit the mega-rich

• Will Acting Mayor Janey run for a full term?

• Maura Healey comes up big in March fundraising; Karyn Polito again out-paces Charlie Baker

Business

According to a report by The Boston Globe, it is commonplace for hospital chiefs in Boston to work as directors of publicly traded companies. What’s not commonplace, they say, is the large sums of money they’re being paid:

1. Laurie Glimcher, MD. President and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
   Annual hospital compensation: $1.8 million
   Company: GlaxoSmithKline, $180,000; Analog Devices, $139,145*

2. Peter Slavin, MD. President of Massachusetts General Hospital.
   Annual hospital compensation: $2.4 million
   Company: Amwell, $475,003

3. Sandra Fenwick. Former CEO of Boston Children's Hospital (retired March 31)
   Annual hospital compensation: $2.7 million
   Company: Teladoc Health, $1,058,250*

4. Kevin Churchwell, MD. CEO of Boston Children's Hospital.
   Annual hospital compensation: $1.6 million
   Company: Cyclerion Therapeutics, $141,253*

5. Elizabeth Nabel, MD. Former President of Brigham and Women's Hospital. (stepped down March 1).
   Annual hospital compensation: $2.4 million
   Company: Medtronic, $385,054; Moderna, $487,500

6. Kate Walsh. President and CEO of Boston Medical Center.
   Annual hospital compensation: $2.6 million
   Company: Beam Therapeutics, $817,500

7. Michael Tarnoff, MD. Interim President and CEO of Tufts Medical Center.
   Annual hospital compensation: $1.1 million
   Company: AngioDynamics, $37,726*

* Partial salary because they joined the board after the start of the year.

Critics have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest that might distract from hospital priorities. For example, the Globe claims that Dr. Nabel attended between 30 and 40 committee meetings called by the two boards on which he sat in 2019.

Read more about the investigation here.

More Business

• Boston's hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level

• For the hospitality industry, struggling to recover, it's a moment of reckoning

• Massachusetts Business Coalition on Skills formed by Massachusetts Business Roundtable, BECMA

• White Massachusetts residents more than twice as likely to own a business than Black, Latinx residents

• Businesses are coming back to life in Massachusetts as vaccinated people venture out

• Largest Executive Search Firms in Massachusetts - Boston Business Journal

• Proposed acquisition of Pan Am Railways is back on track

Energy

It looks like hospital presidents and CEOs aren’t the only ones being accused of being overvalued. The organization that oversees New England’s power grid is being scrutinized by consumer advocates who claim that executive salaries at the agency are sky-high.

According to a 2019 tax filing made public by the nonprofit, ISO New England CEO Gordon van Welie was paid a total of $2,305,770 while Executive VP and COO Vamsi Chadalavada earned $1,746,314. Four other employees made more than $800,000, and 38 people, including eight of the nonprofit’s board members, made more than $100,000 that year.

ISO New England is responsible for balancing supply and demand, pricing electricity, maintaining the system, and implementing any changes the grid system needs. The non-profit is funded largely by fees off the top of residents’ electricity bills. It received $194 million in 2019. A statement from ISO NE says the non-profit takes just over a dollar a month from the average ratepayer in fees. 

The statement reads in part:

“Our board and leadership roles require a considerable time commitment and expertise in markets, power system operations, information security and more. Our compensation levels are reviewed by outside firms annually to ensure that the company stays competitive and within reasonable ranges when compared to similarly situated companies. Competition for these leaders is significant.”

But David Tuerck, head of the conservative Beacon Hill Institute, had this to say about that:

“ISO New England claims it ‘maintains a culture of cost accountability and transparency in its service to the region.’ They might add, ‘except when it comes to paying their staff lavishly.’”

It’s not the first time the group has come under scrutiny. Last fall, Gov. Charlie Baker joined with the governors of Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, and Connecticut in calling for a “modernization” effort. In the letter, the governors accused ISO of having “a governance structure that is not transparent to the states and customers it serves, with a mission that is not responsive to States’ legal mandates and policy priorities.”

The Boston Herald has a report on this story.

More Energy News

• MetroWest towns and cities working together to offer clean energy technology

• Activists hail Massachusetts law as crucial step on environmental justice

• POLITICS: Sweeping Mass. climate law revives gas ban battle

• Mass. Revokes Air Permit For Controversial Biomass Facility In Springfield

• Sen. Markey reintroduces legislation to block infrastructure for exporting natural gas

• “Massachusetts 2050: A Warming State” How an environmental-focused business launched a Northampton community member into politics

• Agilitas Energy readies third SMART solar plus storage project in Massachusetts

• New England's solar growth is creating tension over who pays for grid upgrades

• CommonWealth Magazine

Transportation

Boston To Offer Free Public Transportation Under Pilot Program

The City of Boston is undertaking a pilot program offering free public transportation for up to 1,000 employees who work in five of the city's Main Street districts. Pilot participants will receive a pre-loaded Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) pass with $60. The city will also offer free passes for unlimited rides through the Bluebikes bike-share program.

According to acting Mayor Kim Janey, the pilot is intended to support a sustainable and equitable recovery from the pandemic. "We have to lift up workers and make sure they have access to reliable transportation. That is essential to an economic recovery that is equitable," she said during a press conference.

Read all about it at Cities-Today.com.

In similar news, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey has refiled legislation intended to boost support for free public transportation. In a written statement, co-sponsor U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley said the bill would invest “heavily in our public transit systems so that states and localities can offer safe, high-quality, and fare-free rides to all to ensure everyone” can access jobs, food and essential services.”

AP has more on this story.

More Transportation News

• 'True game changer': Eric Lesser on Amtrak's plans for Western Mass.

• US must electrify municipal fleets, bolster transit and zero-emission car sales to reverse ‘public health disaster,’ Massachusetts nonprofit report says

• MA Advocates for Public Transit Praise Biden Infrastructure Plan

• What Might Biden Infrastructure Push Mean for Transit in Mass.?

• EDITORIAL: Amtrak expansions provide new opportunity to boost economy, eco-friendly travel – The Daily Free Press

Real Estate

Suffolk County judge Brian Davis has dealt a major blow to developers of a long-planned skyscraper on the edge of Boston Harbor. Davis threw out Boston zoning rules that would have allowed the 600-foot tower to be developed by Don Chiofaro at the site of the Boston Harbor Garage. 

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the Conservation Law Foundation and residents of the Harbor Towers condominium complex. Davis ruled that Baker administration officials overstepped their authority when they approved the plan to develop 42 acres along the downtown waterfront.

The 29-page ruling also calls into question similar plans being considered by developers along the Massachusetts coast. 

Read all about it at the Boston Globe.

More Real Estate

• 2021 Boston Real Estate Market Investing Forecast

• Calare Properties to develop an industrial building in Acton

• 388 Ventures Acquires 3 Historic B&Bs in Downtown Lenox, MA in Partnership with Life House

• Discouraging state of middle class in Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Estate From 1680 Is Oldest Home to Hit the Market This Week

• Flagship Pioneering Expands Biotech Footprint to Property in Somerville’s Boynton Yards

Cannabis

New York Legalizes Adult Recreational Use of Marijuana

New York has officially become the 16th state in the U.S. to legalize marijuana.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act into law just one day after it was passed by legislators. 

The bill expands the state's existing medical marijuana program and sets up a licensing and taxation system for recreational sales to adults 21 and older

Cuomo said in a statement:

"For too long the prohibition of cannabis disproportionately targets communities of color with harsh prison sentences and after years of hard work, this landmark legislation provides justice for long-marginalized communities, embraces a new industry that will grow the economy, and establishes substantial safety guards for the public. New York has a storied history of being the progressive capital of the nation, and this important legislation will once again carry on that legacy."

Interestingly, unlike all other states with legal cannabis, a provision in the bill permits marijuana to be smoked in public. According to Paul Armentano, deputy director of the pro-legalization group NORML, no other states allow public use. 

This is important news for the Mass. cannabis industry as it is sure to cut into sales, especially in the eastern part of the state that borders upstate New York. On the other hand, it gives Mass.-based cannabis companies such as Curaleaf — the world’s biggest cannabis company — an opportunity to expand New York operations. 

NBC New York has an extensive report on this story.

More Cannabis News

• Did Marijuana Legalization In MA Put Pot Dealers Out Of Business?

• Third Massachusetts City Approves Psychedelics Decriminalization Measure

• First Black Woman-Owned Cannabis Dispensary On The East Coast Opens in Massachusetts

• New initiative launches to help patients get access to affordable cannabis

• Prominent executive at NETA parent company fired after husband opens competing marijuana store

• Cannabis cultivator takes over old machine shop in Northampton

History In The Making

There’s been more to talk about in Massachusetts during the past week than we’ve seen in a very long time: Mayor Kim Janey is making history, there’s a multi-million dollar shot in the arm for the Commonwealth’s climate and job goals, a potential game-changer for the gig economy emerging on the horizon, and the call to reverse service cuts on the T is being taken seriously. 

And in the “strange but true” category, did you know that Massachusetts has the second-fewest dispensaries per capita in the entire country? It’s true. More than 30 U.S. states have more dispensaries per person than the Bay State. But that’s about to change…

Politics

Kim Janey Makes History as Boston's First Black/Female Mayor

If we could have reported a year ago that Marty Walsh would resign as Mayor of Boston, there would be some head-scratching going on. What on Earth could cause Walsh to resign? Now, as we all know, President-elect Biden has called Walsh to Washington to fill the position of U.S. Labor Secretary.

A mayor of a prominent U.S. city becoming a cabinet member, although often unexpected, isn’t uncommon. (Transportation Secretary “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg is another example.) However, what is uncommon is when the filling of the vacancy becomes far bigger news. 

Boston City Council President Kim Janey is not the acting mayor making history as Boston’s first female and first person of color to hold the office. Although her position is interim, Janey will have a profound effect on the future of Boston politics.

Janey hasn’t yet come out and announced a run for mayor in the fall, but if she were to do so, she might be the favorite to win. Case in point, city council president Thomas Menino stepped in as interim mayor and went on to win the mayoral election later that year becoming Boston’s longest-serving mayor.

One fact greatly increasing the chance that Boston will continue to make history is that, so far, three women of color have announced they will run for mayor — city councilors Michelle Wu, Andrea Campbell, and Annissa Essaibi George. 

Read all about Janey’s history-making move at U.S.A Today.

More Politics

• Blue-state Republicans slump without Trump as foil

• Massachusetts lawmakers to vote on moving Holyoke mayor’s race to the fall

• Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz ‘seriously considering’ run for Massachusetts governor

• Charlie Baker backs Massachusetts’s strict gun laws as a national model

Business

Lawsuit Over Uber, Lyft Driver Status: There’s a Lot At Stake 

As the pace of technological advancement and consumer adoption accelerates, legislation intended to regulate that technology quite often struggles to keep up. Ride-hailing, and the gig economy as a whole, are ground zero in the race to reign in commercial technologies before they can get so entrenched that their defenses are impenetrable.

Here in Massachusetts, a battle is raging to determine whether or not drivers for companies such as Uber and Lyft can be considered contract workers or if they actually qualify as employees. 

As contractors drivers typically have limited legal rights, no minimum wages, and few if any benefits. And declaring them employees greatly increases the cost of doing business and cuts deep into profits of the companies that provide these opportunities. 

In a heated battle last year, much to the relief of Uber and Lyft, California voters declared that so-called “gig workers” are, indeed, contractors and not employees. 

Massachusetts is now fighting a similar battle as the state's attorney general attempts to dismantle Uber's and Lyft's argument that drivers are independent contractors. 

The defendants had requested that a Massachusetts judge dismiss the lawsuit. The motion was denied on Thursday when Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Salinger said the state’s argument has merit.

Was the argument proffered in the California case strong enough to become a nationwide precedent? Or will the Baker Administration deliver a historic and crippling blow to the gig economy? We’ll keep you posted on this important story. 

Meanwhile, BusinessInsider.com has more on this story.

More Business

• Mass. unemployment rate falls to 7.1%

• Martinez: Massachusetts could send Hollywood packing

• Baker-Polito Administration Awards More Than $14 Million in Grants to 295 Additional Businesses for COVID Relief

• Massachusetts legislature unanimous on aid for businesses and workers

• At Mass General Brigham, a sweeping effort to unify hospitals and shed old rivalries

• Amazon's new telehealth service is coming to Massachusetts this summer 

• Largest Robotics Companies in Massachusetts

Energy

Offshore Wind Energy Gets Booster Shot 

President Biden is on a mission to clean up the energy industry in an effort to stem the tide of climate change, accelerate innovation in clean energy, boost the economy, and create jobs. A key goal in the effort is to have all electricity generation in the U.S. carbon neutral by 2035. And a key piece of the plan is offshore wind energy. 

While the Biden administration begins pulling up stakes on drilling for oil on public land, The Department of Interior plans to start selling leases for a new "wind energy area" in the waters between Long Island and the New Jersey coast. 

Although this particular project doesn’t directly impact Massachusetts, others are in the planning stages. In time, the administration envisions a thriving offshore wind industry spanning the entire East Coast. Along with projects in the Gulf of Mexico and along the West Coast the goal is to deploy 30 gigawatts of turbines by 2030, supplying more than 10 million American homes with electricity and creating tens of thousands of jobs in the process. The longer-term goal is to generate a staggering 110 gigawatts of electricity offshore by 2050.

The Department of Energy plans to offer the wind power industry a booster shot in the form of $3 billion in government-backed loans and an additional $8 million in grants for research and development.

The Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is undertaking environmental reviews for potential projects that will directly affect the Bay State including the Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts and South Fork Wind off Rhode Island. 

NPR has more on this story. 

More Energy News

• Massachusetts Gov. Baker signs sweeping climate change bill

• Sweeping climate law zeroes out carbon pollution for Massachusetts

• Sweeping Mass. climate law revives gas ban battle

• Agilitas Energy planning 10-MW solar + storage project under Massachusetts SMART program

• Powering the energy transition with better storage

• MetroWest towns and cities team up to offer clean energy technology

• Solect Energy completes 273 kW of rooftop solar installations in Winchester, Massachusetts

Transportation

Mayor Janey Demands Reversal of MBTA Service Cuts

We’ve talked many times in the past year about the MBTA’s budget woes and the controversial service cuts that were recently put into place to stem the tide of red ink as ridership fell to around one-third of pre-pandemic levels. 

However, with the agency about to receive $1 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money, history-making interim Boston Mayor Kim Janey, whom we mentioned above, has joined transportation advocates in imploring the MBTA to restore services to pre-pandemic levels. The argument is that the relief money will more than cover the costs. 

An MBTA spokesperson said the agency is likely to acquiesce and will provide more specifics after a joint meeting of the MassDOT Board of Directors and the MBTA’s Fiscal Management and Control Board happening as we write.

We’ll surely update you on this story next week.

Meanwhile, you can read all about it at NBC Boston.

More Transportation News

• Lawmakers seek pause on plans to overhaul Mass. transportation system that provides rides to disabled residents

• Global Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation Market 2025

Real Estate

Solar Arrays Burn Local Homeowners 

A new study shows the property values of houses located near industrial solar facilities decline, costing homeowners millions of dollars in value.

According to the study, house prices within a mile of Rhode Island or Massachusetts commercial solar arrays fell by an average of 1.7% while homes within a tenth of a mile of the installations declined by a staggering 7%.

Solar energy is an important part of the Bay State’s goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, solar arrays use significant amounts of land and “may create local land use disamenities,” say the report’s authors.

According to researchers at the University of Rhode Island, their primary sample consists of 208 solar installations, 71,337 housing transactions in Mass. and Rhode Island, occurring within one mile (treated group), and 347,921 transactions between one to three miles (control group).

Here’s an excerpt from the extensive report:

“We observe 71,337 housing transactions occurring within one mile (treated group), and 347,921 transactions between one to three miles (control croup) of 208 solar installations in MA and RI. Our preferred model suggests that property values in the treatment group decline by 1.7% ($5,751) on average compared to those in the control group after the construction of a nearby solar installation, all else equal. This translates to an annual willingness to pay of $279 per household to avoid disamenities associated with proximity to the installations. However, this average effect obscures heterogeneity. We find substantially larger negative effects for properties within 0.1 miles and properties surrounding solar sites built on farm and forest lands in non-rural areas. 

The entire report can be downloaded here.

More Real Estate

• A Year Of COVID-19: Negotiation And Litigation Trends In Massachusetts Leasing

• Property Value Impacts Of Commercial-scale Solar Energy In Massachusetts and Rhode Island

• CBRE Arranges Sale of Nine-Building, 700,000 SF Industrial Portfolio in Massachusetts & New Hampshire

• Report: Mass. averaged a $38,000 rise in mortgage equity in 2020

• Property Management Company Settles Claims it Denied Housing to Prospective Tenants Who Are Deaf at Springfield Complex

• What You Need to Know About That “Not Haunted” Real Estate Sign Trending on Twitter

Cannabis

Dispensaries Popping Up Faster Than New Customers

Anyone who is not a stakeholder in the Massachusetts cannabis industry might be surprised to learn that Massachusetts has the second-lowest number of dispensaries per capita. While Mass. has 15 dispensaries per 1 million residents, Illinois has only 7 stores per 1 million people. The greater Boston area has the highest deficit of stores with only two within city limits.

Of course, these numbers are on the rise. More than 200 adult-use dispensaries are currently being developed in Mass. According to a report in Benzinga, the density could reach 47 stores per 1 million people, putting the state in fourth place behind cannabis vanguards Oregon, Colorado, and Washington.

But there’s a problem with that. According to the report, the store count is actually growing faster than sales which means that individual shops will see a smaller and smaller cut of total sales as more and more pot shops open for business.  

Visit Benzinga for more details.

More Cannabis News

• First Black Woman-Owned Cannabis Dispensary On East Coast Opens In Brockton

• Lawmakers learning from the impact legalized marijuana has on Massachusetts

• New York lawmakers agree to legalize recreational marijuana

• Analyst: Massachusetts Cannabis Store Count 'Is Growing Faster Than Sales'

• ‘Cannabis as an art form;’ this cookbook with recipes from Mass. chefs showcases THC, CBD as ingredients

• KushKart delivery service makes Massachusetts debut after raising $3.5 million

• Study: “No Evidence” That Medical Cannabis Access Laws Encourage Youth Marijuana Use

• Trulieve’s National Expansion Momentum Continues with Acquisition of Mountaineer Holding LLC in West Virginia and Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission Giving Green Light to Start Growing

• MariMed Q4 Revenue Increases 290% to $20.4 Million – New Cannabis Ventures

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