December 2, 2019
Massachusetts on Wednesday adopted the country’s toughest ban on the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes, in response to a rise in youth vaping and an outbreak of vaping-related serious lung injuries. Governor Charlie Baker, a …
November 25, 2019
Massachusetts lawmakers passed a groundbreaking ban Thursday on the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes. The bill would also place a 75% excise tax on vaping products and require health insurers, including the state’s Medicaid program, …
October 23, 2019
A state judge has allowed Massachusetts’ four-month ban on the sale of all vaping products to stand as a legal challenge makes its way through the courts. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins in a decision Monday said lifting the …
October 8, 2019
A federal judge upheld Massachusetts’ four-month ban on the sale of vaping products on Friday, at least for now. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani denied the vaping industry’s request for a temporary reprieve from the ban while their legal challenge …
July 30, 2019
Massachusetts lawmakers will again attempt to hold a hearing into lapses at the state motor vehicle department exposed by a New Hampshire crash that killed seven motorcyclists. The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation will reconvene its hearing into the Registry …
July 26, 2019
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker says he’ll seek a federal disaster declaration to support cleanup and recovery efforts on Cape Cod after a tornado and high winds caused extensive damage and knocked out power to tens of thousands. The Republican on …
April 10, 2019
Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation unveiled a bill Monday aimed at strengthening pipeline safety in the U.S. in response to September’s natural gas explosions and fires in the Merrimack Valley. Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Lori Trahan say the …
December 14, 2018
Natural gas companies in Massachusetts are compromising safety by increasingly turning to outside contractors for pipeline work while cutting back on staff that would oversee these projects, state lawmakers said Tuesday at a hearing following September’s natural gas explosions in …
December 12, 2018
Top Statehouse Democrats say they’re hoping to pass legislation aimed at improving natural gas infrastructure safety before the end of the year. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker filed the bill. On Monday, he met with Senate President Karen Spilka and House …
October 30, 2018
The utility involved in a series of natural gas explosions and fires in three Massachusetts communities last month acknowledged Friday it would not meet its original Nov. 19 deadline for restoring gas service to all its customers. Columbia Gas set …