The state is trying to weasel out of its commitment to extend the Green Line by setting up a process to re-evaluate its remaining Big Dig commitments. They are accepting comments from the public through January 15. We want as many Somerville residents as possible to write or email them. Please take a moment to do so – it can make a difference. Keep reading for more information.
Send letters by January 15
Secretary Daniel A. Grabauskas
Executive Office of Transportation
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3170
Boston, MA 02116
and
Commissioner Robert. W. Golledge, Jr.
Department of Environmental Protection
One Winter Street
Boston, MA 02108
Send email by January 15
Daniel.Grabauskas@mhd.state.ma.us
Robert.Golledge@state.ma.us
Comments to MBTA by December 31
If you are able to send comments by the end of this year, you can also include the MBTA, which is accepting public comments on its Capital Improvement Program (CIP) until then. The CIP includes MBTA spending through fiscal 2010 but has no money pencilled in for additional study, enginneering, permitting or construction of the Green Line extension through Somerville.
MBTA comments can go to:
MBTA Budget Department
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA, 02116
or
cipinfo@mbta.com
Sample letter
Below is a sample “transit commitments” letter drafted by Conservation Law Foundation. This draft letter is not yet dated nor does it have Green Line specific comments that you may wish to make, but you might want to see this because it is the message that CLF wants delivered to state government.
Dear Secretary Grabauskas and Commissioner Golledge:
After sitting through four and half hours of public testimony on December 14, 2004, I have come to the conclusion that the process identified for revisiting the transit commitments is unnecessary and unwanted. The transit commitments are an important promise to improving air quality, to increasing mobility, to environmental justice and equity, and to a balanced transportation investment. The existing transit commitments were meaningful in 1990 when they were first selected and have only grown more meaningful as many have waited fourteen years to see the Commonwealth make good on its promise.
The transit commitments should not be revisited. The only revisiting of the transit commitments should be to add projects to the list of outstanding commitments in order to make up for missed deadlines. No process is necessary to evaluate the outstanding transit commitments. The process that needs to happen now is one whereby funding for completing the outstanding commitments will be identified and construction will begin.
Any revisiting on the commitments and backsliding on them is unacceptable. Public support for these projects remains strong. The time has come for the Commonwealth to invest in our future and fund the transit commitments.