Says wind turbines not only save the planet ‘but also … our wallets’
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) toured the Hull peninsula on Monday with stops at Hull Wind 1 turbine at Pemberton Point and the downtown Nantasket Beach area. While visiting, Markey heard from local officials about the town’s renewable energy efforts and infrastructure needs.
Markey said that Hull’s wind turbines prove that “investing in green, renewable energy sources will not only save our planet, but also save our wallets.” As Congress looks to pass a major infrastructure bill in the coming months, Markey predicted that Hull’s renewable energy efforts would “serve as an example for the rest of the nation and give us a pathway forward as to how we can implement green solutions in cities and towns across America.”
On his stop at the boardwalk area of Nantasket Beach, the senator discussed his Complete Streets Act with state Sen. Patrick O’Connor, state Rep. Joan Meschino, and Hull Town Manager Philip Lemnios. Markey also discussed how Hull has benefitted from the Massachusetts Complete Streets Funding Program launched in February 2016, an act that requires states to set aside a portion of their federal highway funding to create a grant program that will fund “complete streets” projects, such as improving sidewalks, creating bicycle lanes, or putting in additional bus stops.
By fostering “complete streets,” Markey said, “complete communities – ones with less reliance on gas-guzzling cars, greater safety, and more equity in everyone’s ability to access work, school, and other critical services” – would be enhanced.
Referring to the American Jobs Plan that President Biden has put forward, Markey noted that the measure “includes the goal of improving road safety for all users, which sounds just like my Complete Streets Act.
“These investments, in towns like Hull, will present an enormous opportunity to lead the world into a new era of more accessible and climate-friendly transportation.”