NLG-Mass was notified of two campaigns happening in Western Massachusetts and one in our neighbor state, Connecticut.

Chase Bank Campaign

A coalition of activist groups organized by Climate Action Now joined the Third Act National Campaign on March 21, 2023 to protest the new Chase Banks opening this year in Western Massachusetts. The protestors also urged Chase Bank to stop funding Cop City and other police militarization and fossil fuel expansion projects. The rally and march started at Polaski Park in Northampton and ended in front of one of the newest Chase Banks in the area. The group is planning further activities to protest the construction and opening of these banks, including additional rallies and marches, regular standouts, and one member has mounted a large screen TV onto his van to display the bad actions of Chase and other large financial institutions.

Wendall State Forest Alliance (WSFA)

WSFA is currently working on getting laws passed to improve accounting of carbon and defend the public’s rights to intervene on behalf of forest protection. WSFA is currently working on two bills – H.895 and H.1816. H.895 aims to require separate carbon accounting for working lands and natural lands and to eliminate any carbon offsets sold to entities outside of Massachusetts from the Massachusetts’s Net-Zero Goal. H.1816 would establish individual standing for members of the public to challenge in court violations of the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act (MEPA).

Connecticut River Defenders (CRD)

CRD are currently working on a campaign to stop First Light’s Northfield Mountain storage and electricity generating facility. The group has identified a number of issues including – reversing the flow of rivers; causing the death of a variety of species living in the rivers impacted; and the enormous amount of fossil fuels used for this project. If you know of anyone who may be able to provide CRD with legal assistance, please email Miriam at mimbck@yahoo.com.