Edwards Endorsed by Environmental League of Mass. Action Fund

Special to the Journal

Lydia Edwards has been endorsed by the Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) Action Fund in the special election to State Senate. Primary Election Day is December 14. General Election Day is January 11, 2022.

“From Day One on the Boston City Council, Lydia Edwards has been a champion for environmental justice, fighting for equity and clean energy while taking on corporate polluters in a district defined by the waterfront. We need a voice like hers in the State Senate particularly now as we face an unprecedented crisis in our climate resiliency efforts. Lydia gets it done every time and the ELM Action Fund enthusiastically supports her candidacy for State Senate,” said Clare Kelly, Executive Director of the ELM Action Fund.

ELM Action Fund was launched in 2015 to build the political will in Massachusetts to pass bold and ambitious environmental policies. Since its founding, the organization has grown into a respected and reliable resource for elected officials, candidates and voters. The ELM Action Fund continues to pass laws that protect our environmental legacy, hold our elected officials accountable, and build the political power of the environmental community. Read more.

As a city councilor, Lydia Edwards has fought against corporate polluters and pressed for investment in clean energy and public transit. She’s worked to cut pollution from Logan Airport and pushed Massport to invest in air filtration systems for public schools, community centers, and housing. From day one, she opposed Eversource’s poorly-sited electrical substation in East Boston, urging the state to consider lower-impact, clean energy alternatives. 

Lydia has voted to support climate resilience investments in Boston’s park systems, protecting both nature and neighborhoods, and supported a Wetlands Protection Ordinance to preserve critical environmental areas. As part of the mitigation from the Suffolk Downs project, Lydia secured increased staffing at the Department of Conservation and Recreation to steward Belle Isle Marsh. Learning from the loss of open space in Boston’s Seaport, Lydia demanded, and secured, permanent conservation restrictions (or in some cases, public ownership) for open and green spaces at Suffolk Downs, and supported expansion of pedestrian paths and bikeways.

Earlier this year, Lydia joined Councilors Michelle Wu and Matt O’Malley to file an ordinance that would require the city to divest from fossil fuel companies and ensure that city dollars are invested in industries that will help bring about a cleaner, more sustainable and more equitable future. Most recently, Lydia introduced – and City Council adopted – a resolution in support of amending the plan ensure our waterfront is equitable, inclusive, and accessible to all.

Lydia Edwards is a candidate for State Senate representing the First Suffolk and Middlesex District, following the departure of Senator Joseph A. Boncore. For a full and up-to-date list of endorsements, visit: LydiaEdwards.org/endorsements.

Councilor Lydia Edwards is a career advocate, activist, and voice on behalf of society’s most vulnerable. She is currently the Chair of the Committee on Government Operations and the Committee on Housing and Community Development in the Boston City Council. Learn more at LydiaEdwards.org/meet-lydia.

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