Conservation Law Foundation: Campaign for New England's Future

LET’S SEIZE THE CLIMATE OPPORTUNITY AND DEFEND WHAT WE LOVE. THE TIME IS NOW.

Brad Campbell and his dog Henry walking along Boston Harbor

PHOTO: TOM KATES PHOTOGRAPHY

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Conservation Law Foundation is embarking on the most ambitious and comprehensive fundraising campaign in our history. The priorities we set, and the investments we make, will shape New England for generations to come. We invite everyone with a stake in the region’s future to join us.

Our $50 million campaign spans the next five years, a period climate scientists acknowledge as critical. CLF will accelerate the end of New England’s dependence on fossil fuels, ensure clean air and water for all, and solidify protections for the region’s iconic natural resources and the regional economy they support.

In achieving these goals, we will transform the way we power our lives at a scale not seen since the Industrial Revolution. We will take advantage of a confluence of factors that have created this unique and pivotal moment: profound advances in clean technology and energy markets, powerful new laws requiring reduced climate-damaging emissions, and unprecedented levels of public and private investment in climate solutions.

Legal advocacy is essential to realizing the opportunities before us. From the civil rights movement to combatting Big Tobacco and the opioid epidemic, litigation has proved an essential catalyst for major societal change. With unparalleled legal horsepower and over a half-century of success tackling the region’s toughest environmental challenges, CLF has shown time and again that law is the core of any strategy to stop threats to our climate, natural resources, and health.

Over the last decade, we have shuttered New England’s dirtiest power plants, championed legislation to promote clean wind and solar energy, and pioneered groundbreaking lawsuits holding Big Oil accountable for a long history of lawbreaking and deceit. Just last year, the United Nations recognized lawsuits like ours as pivotal to making progress on climate.

CLF can meet the challenges ahead, but only with robust investments that enable us to take on even bigger fights and respond with agility to emerging threats. The wins we achieve here in New England can and do reverberate across the nation.

This work is deeply personal. New England is our home. The actions we take today to defend the places and people we love will determine the legacy we leave to our children and grandchildren. We owe it to them—and to ourselves—to move ahead with courage and clarity.

I invite you to join us. The time is now. Let’s get to work.

Gratefully,

Bradley M. Campbell

COVER PHOTO: POPHAM BEACH, MAINE (UNSPLASH)

OUR VISION

The $50 million, 5-year campaign supports:

ENDING DEPENDENCY ON FOSSIL FUELS

STOPPING NEW CLIMATE-DRIVEN THREATS TO CLEAN AIR & WATER

DEFENDING NATURAL TREASURES AND ADVANCING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

$28.6 MILLIONN

Ending New England’s dependency on fossil fuels and seizing the economic opportunities of the great energy transition.

Adopting innovative clean energy technologies and deploying clean vehicles at scale across New England.

Enforcing existing state climate laws requiring emission cuts across the region and securing new laws where they do not exist.

Revolutionizing outdated systems that support fossil fuels and stopping new or expanded fossil fuel infrastructure in New England.

Exposing deceitful climate solutions and ensuring good science leads the way.

$12.4 MILLION

Stopping new climate-driven threats to clean air & water.

Defending and raising the voice of communities that have borne the most toxic burdens in the past and will suffer most from new climate dangers.

Steering public and private investments to improve public health for those most affected by historic disinvestment, pollution, and extreme weather.

Preventing new toxic threats such as high-heat waste incinerators, unsafe oil and gas facilities, and dangerous methane leaks.

$9 MILLION

Defending New England’s natural treasures and advancing innovative climate solutions.

Restoring and protecting New England’s land, waters, and wildlife most at risk from climate impacts while safeguarding the economies that depend on them.

Advancing proven nature-based climate solutions, from forest and tree canopy regrowth to climatefriendly farming and aquaculture.

Supporting new clean energy projects while protecting New England’s communities, landscapes, species, and waterways from poorly planned and destructive infrastructure.

CLF blocked construction of a four-lane highway set to devastate New Hampshire’s iconic Franconia Notch THE CAMPAIGN FOR NEW ENGLAND’S FUTURE

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Legal advocacy is essential to realizing the opportunities before us. It has been the tip of the spear for almost every major societal shift in recent history. CLF leads the way.

PHOTO: TOM KATES PHOTOGRAPHY

“ I am a mother of four children. They were all born here. I want them to be proud of the place where they were born. But in my community, we see and smell scrap, tar, oil, and gas. Environmental racism is as American as apple pie. Chemical facilities do not go into neighborhoods with people who have money, who are white, and who speak English. I work with CLF because they have people here on the ground who know us.”

MONICA HUERTAS Executive Director, People’s Port Authority Providence, RI

THE CAMPAIGN FOR NEW ENGLAND’S FUTURE

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

CLF will advance this vision through a unique blend of:

Litigation and other advocacy to hold government officials and polluters accountable under the law.

Adoption of new laws, policies, and market tools in collaboration with lawmakers, regulators, and environmental partners.

Expanded partnerships with communities most exposed to pollution and extreme weather.

New collaborations with clean technology developers and entrepreneurs.

Thirty years of CLF's advocacy has ensured major public transportation improvements Boston, Massachusetts

“

I was one of the first Asian Americans to make partner in a Boston law firm, so I know firsthand the power of the law in uplifting voices that others ignore. I also know its power in taking on corporate polluters that put communities in danger and are ruthless in keeping us addicted to dirty energy. No corporation is too big to be held responsible for its actions. I support CLF because their legal advocates are fearless in taking on formidable foes like the fossil fuel industry.”

PAUL LEE Attorney Boston, Massachusetts

PHOTO: TOM KATES PHOTOGRAPHY

Your gift to this effort will:

Bolster communities and partner organizations across New England in their fight for clean air and water.

Ensure that law and policy are informed by cutting-edge science and community-engaged research.

Accelerate the demonstration and deployment of innovative clean technologies. Increase CLF’s legal capacity by 50% throughout New England to support this vision.

Recruit, train, and mentor the next generation of environmental advocates.

This campaign is an essential investment in the region and in our communities.

Our Historic Achievements

Founded in 1966, CLF has fought for New England and all who call it home. Here are just a few of our historic achievements.

1983

CLF IS FEARLESS

CLF sued the EPA and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to force the cleanup and transformation of Boston Harbor from an open sewer to a thriving harbor.

2016

CLF CHAMPIONS OCEANS

CLF collaborated with the Obama administration to secure designation of the Atlantic’s first and only Marine National Monument.

CLF INNOVATES

CLF advocated successfully for the opening of the nation’s first offshore wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island.

2022

CLF PAVES THE WAY FOR A FOSSIL FUEL FREE FUTURE

CLF advocated successfully for an early end to Connecticut's costly and climate-damaging natural gas expansion program, prevailing against powerful gas utility companies.

2014

CLF IS RELENTLESS

CLF worked for more than a decade to shut down the aging Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, which was polluting the Connecticut River and the nearby town of Vernon.

2021

CLF PIONEERS SOLUTIONS

CLF pushed the Maine legislature to pass the first law in the country designed to make big corporations pay for the costs to dispose of their wasteful, polluting packaging.

Coming Soon

CLF CAN SOLVE BIG PROBLEMS

CLF has shut down almost every coal plant in New England for violating environmental regulations and harming public health. New Hampshire is home to the region’s last dirty coal plants, and we’re in court right now pushing for these outdated, dangerous facilities to be shut down.

CLF LEADS THE CHARGE TO PASS STRONG CLIMATE LAWS IN EVERY NEW ENGLAND STATE

With CLF’s persistent advocacy, the State of Vermont set up programs to implement pollution limits. Cyanobacteria outbreaks, Lake Champlain Vermont

Climate impacts are here. We have a short window of opportunity to shape the future we want and defend what we love. Climate scientists agree that the next five years are critical in turning the tide.

 New England is warming faster than the rest of the planet. Extreme weather is already hurting our health and our economy.

 The fossil fuel industry is spending millions in a last-ditch effort to maintain its foothold in New England and falsely recast dirty energy as climate-friendly.

BUT WE HAVE A UNIQUE SET OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAKE PROGRESS POSSIBLE:

 One-time federal climate spending has the potential to amplify the impact of state climate policies and regulations driven by CLF advocacy.

 Rapid technological advances, declining costs, and increasing investment in clean energy will soon make fossil fuels uncompetitive in New England.

PHOTO:

TAKING BIG OIL TO COURT

“ We need to know that our large industries, including Shell’s Providence Terminal, are protecting the people who live, work, and recreate nearby from major spills and contamination caused by their facilities.”

Timmons Roberts Providence, Rhode Island

Chelsea along the Mystic River in Massachusetts, the Port of Providence in Rhode Island, and the East Shore in New Haven, Connecticut are diverse, vibrant, low-income communities. Unfortunately, these neighborhoods sit in the shadow of dangerous oil tank farms.

Big oil companies like Exxon and Shell have known for decades that their products would cause catastrophic climate change and endanger lives. In first-of-their-kind lawsuits, CLF is suing fossil fuel companies across New England for their unlawful failure to prepare their facilities for the extreme weather and sea-level rise already hitting the region due to the climate crisis. Our lawsuits have gone further than any other climate litigation against the major oil companies in the United States. They mark the first time a private fossil fuel entity will need to answer fully for its knowledge of climate change and its risks.

Providence, Rhode Island

PHOTO: ISTOCK

New England is a hub of innovation and investment in climate solutions, poised to prove that effective climate action expands opportunity, equity, and prosperity.

From the American Revolution to the life sciences innovations of today, New England has been at the center of every major transformation our country has achieved. We can bring that same leadership to galvanize the nation in addressing the climate crisis.

 Our region has some of the strongest climate laws in the United States. We now have the legal leverage and broad public consensus to force action at the state and regional level.

 New England was first in the water on offshore wind and the first region to shut down dirty coal. We can be the first to complete the transition to a clean energy economy and model solutions that can be replicated across the country.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR NEW ENGLAND’S FUTURE  17

CLF’s advocacy during the development of Rhode Island’s ocean management plan helped create a straightforward process for the offshore wind farm’s permitting.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Landfill and incinerator site Saugus, Massachusetts

“

We’re being exposed to smog, pollution, ash every day. If you knock on every door in this neighborhood, there’s at least one household member who has struggled with cancer diagnoses.”

Jackie Mercurio Saugus, Massachusetts

PHOTOS: BOSTON GLOBE/GETTY IMAGES

FIGHTING BACK AGAINST HAZARDOUS FACILITIES

Sadly, Jackie’s neighborhood is not unique. Far too many New England families are being poisoned by contaminants released by waste incinerators and landfills. Incinerators release noxious air pollution into our neighborhoods. And all landfills eventually leak toxic chemicals into our water. New England currently has no plan to address this dangerous problem.

CLF is fighting for solutions that put toxic landfills and incinerators out of business by implementing better recycling, increasing composting, setting up other zero-waste programs, and phasing out single-use plastics.

NASA satellite view of New England and the Gulf of Maine

CLF is the largest environmental advocacy organization focused on New England. Our team includes the country’s top legal minds alongside renowned scientists and experienced policy strategists. Our opinions hold weight, and we are often the only advocacy group at the table when solutions to environmental issues are being drafted.

 We confront the climate crisis with a unique approach, leveraging the law, science, and markets.

 We are small enough to be close to local communities but large enough to create replicable solutions at the regional and national level.

 Our regional scope aligns with where key energy decisions are made.

 We have robust relationships with the communities most exposed to pollution and extreme weather.

 We are the only group in the region willing to hold law-breaking polluters accountable. We are willing to take tough stands and to stand alone.

SAFEGUARDING THE CANYONS AND SEAMOUNTS

PHOTOS: NOAA

From surface to seafloor, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is spectacular. The canyons cut thousands of meters below the sea’s surface, while the seamounts rise nearly 10,000 feet from the ocean floor. Together, they provide a home for all sorts of marine life, from ancient deep-sea corals that grow in shades of pink and orange to blue whales, the largest animal on earth, that swim at the surface.

CLF played a key role with partner organizations in the creation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the first in the Atlantic Ocean. And we have not stopped. We are fighting to keep this and other vital ocean areas safe.

Allowing destructive industrial activities would devastate this special place. The monument’s protection will allow fish populations to rebound, provide a safe habitat for endangered species, and help our coastal economies thrive.

Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument

“ I have treasured my partnership with CLF and admire their tireless advocacy in protecting New England’s iconic natural treasures, from our landscapes to our oceans. Our planet functions as this perfectly tuned machine where every great whale and every little bug and animal plays a role. The Gulf of Maine right here in New England is warming faster than 97% of the global ocean. We can reverse that tide if we act now.”

BRIAN SKERRY National Geographic Photojournalist

PHOTO: NICOLE WOLF

We invite you to join us. Your support can make all the difference. Let’s get to work.

The Campaign for New England’s Future