FTX FALLOUT — Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark isn’t demanding her fellow Democrats return campaign contributions from FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. In doing so, she’s giving Rep. Jake Auchincloss some cover.
Clark, who will be House Democrats’ No. 2 come January, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that it's "going to be up to individual campaigns" to decide whether to return the money they've taken from the embattled cypto entrepreneur. Bankman-Fried funneled tens of millions of dollars toward the party's candidates this cycle, per OpenSecrets.
That includes Auchincloss, who received the max contribution, $5,800, from Bankman-Fried in March. Auchincloss also received $5,800 from Mark Wetjen, FTX’s U.S. head of policy, and $2,900 from Brett Harrison, the former president of FTX’s U.S. arm, FEC records show.
Auchincloss spokesperson Matt Corridoni declined to say whether the congressman would follow other Democrats in returning or donating Bankman-Fried’s contributions. Auchincloss appears to be the only delegation member who received a direct donation from Bankman-Fried this cycle. A spokesperson for Rep. Jim McGovern, who records show received $2,900 from the FTX leader’s brother, Gabriel Bankman-Fried, didn't respond.
Corridoni also wouldn’t comment on the timing of Bankman-Fried’s donation. FEC filings show the money hit Auchincloss’ account six days before the congressman joined a March letter warning the Securities and Exchange Commission against using its enforcement division to investigate cryptocurrency and blockchain companies. The lawmakers argued such probes might be “at odds” with the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Auchincloss defended the letter in an MSNBC interview last week by saying it didn’t mention FTX.The lawmakers, he said, were “not asking for the SEC to back off” but were asking the “SEC to focus on the whales, not the minnows. FTX is clearly a whale.”
Auchincloss “has been clear from Day One that crypto needs strong and clear laws from Congress,” Corridoni said. He pointed to an October 2021 hearing in which the congressman asked SEC Chair Gary Gensler how lawmakers could help strengthen crypto regulations. And he said Auchincloss supports having Bankman-Fried testify before the House Financial Services Committee he’s vice chair of.
GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. MassGOP state committeewoman Amy Carnevale is officially running for party chair.
Carnevale joins Vice Chair Jay Fleitman, operative Christopher Lyon and "All Politics is Local" host Jon Fetherston in the race to potentially replace Jim Lyons, who hasn’t said whether he’s seeking another term.
She made her announcement on Howie Carr’s radio show, a strategic move given the conservative host’s audience and his dour outlook on the party’s current leadership. Carr turned on GOP gubernatorial nominee Geoff Diehl earlier this year and has been increasingly critical of Lyons as Republicans’ electoral losses mount.
TODAY — Gov.-elect Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu follow their first formal post-election meeting with a 1:45 p.m. press conference at City Hall. Wu celebrates Boston Housing Authority building upgrades in South Boston at 3 p.m.Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito highlights improvements to Worcester’s Union Station at 9 a.m., attends an awards celebration at 10 a.m. at Worcester City Hall, presides over a Local Government Advisory Commission meeting at 1 p.m. and celebrates the Community Compact program at 2 p.m. at the State House. Clark and Democrats’ incoming leadership team host a press conference at 2 p.m. at the Capitol.
— “November Tax Collections Outpace Benchmark,”by Colin A. Young, State House News Service (paywall): “Tax collectors at the Department of Revenue raked in $2.382 billion last month, which is less than what was collected during November 2021 but still more than 10 percent more than what the Baker administration had been expecting. November 2022 tax receipts were down $32 million or 1.3 percent compared to November 2021, which DOR attributed to a difference in the timing of collection of a certain tax type this year. DOR had set last month's benchmark at $2.161 billion but exceeded that by $221 million or 10.2 percent.”
FROM THE HUB
— “Advocates ask Boston City Council for help housing migrants,”by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “In a video shared with GBH News, a recently arrived migrant rests his head on a small mattress squeezed beneath a plastic kitchen table, just next to a refrigerator. He is paying rent to sleep in a tiny space in someone else’s apartment. It is just one example of the dire circumstances for migrants in Massachusetts, according to nonprofit advocates testifying Monday before the Boston City Council Committee on Civil Rights and Immigrant Advancement. … [Councilor Ruthzee] Louijeune held Monday’s hearing to get testimony from advocates on the ground in the hopes of better allocating city resources while some lawmakers push to dedicate more funds at the state level. Advocates overwhelmingly said migrants’ need is growing, and that more than anything, housing is what’s needed.”
— Related: “Mass. continues work on migrant intake center, has yet to announce opening date,”by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “The Bob Eisengrein Community Center, capable of housing about 60 families or up to 125 individuals, will be transformed into temporary shelter space with sleeping cots, pillows, clean linens and towels, the state official told MassLive. There will be portable shower units, space for three daily meals and recreation areas. In a separate dedicated space, the Multi-Agency Resource Center will feature meeting rooms and computers, the official said.”
— “Boston to set up 11 waste water testing sites to increase COVID-19 detection,”by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “With COVID-19 levels in waste water rising in the region, officials in Boston have partnered with vendors to set up 11 waste water testing sites across the city, the leader of the Boston Public Health Commission said Monday. … City officials are using $3.9 million in federal funding to pay for the project.”
— “After ‘76 visit, a reversal of public fortune for royals and the city,”by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: “When William Mountbatten-Windsor, better known as ‘the Prince of Wales,’ stepped into the hallway outside the mayor of Boston’s office last Wednesday, he was greeted by black-and-white pictures of his late grandmother, who made her own visit here nearly 50 years ago. Despite the beaming local officials who joined her then in the pictures that were put up on the walls ahead of his visit, it was a different Boston back in 1976. ‘Royal respite for beleaguered Boston,’ said the July headline in The Phoenix, an alternative weekly. … Forty-six years later, the situation has been reversed: Over the course of three days, Mountbatten-Windsor and his wife Kate Middleton basked in the green light of a Boston on an upswing.”
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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
— “'A really great milestone': The first South Coast Rail train rolls into Freetown station,”by Jo C. Goode, Herald News: “Bringing the $158 million South Coast Rail project to the South Coast in Fall River, New Bedford and surrounding communities is not just about transportation, it's also about fairness to the region. Those were some of the sentiments at the ribbon cutting at the new Freetown Commuter Rail Station in Assonet Monday led by Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and Secretary of Transportation Jamey Tesler. … The new stations in Fall River, New Bedford and Freetown will be operational this time next year as crews finish the long-awaited South Coast Rail which has been in the works for nearly four decades, but became a reality under the Baker-Polito administration.”
FROM THE DELEGATION
— “Congressman Seth Moulton resumes push for passage of Afghan Adjustment Act,”by Brendan Deady, GBH News: “Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton says that the Biden Administration’s treatment of Afghan refugees could hurt the U.S. military’s ability to form relationships with locals during future and ongoing conflicts. Moulton, who served four combat tours in Iraq, said on Boston Public Radio that the Biden Administration has failed to deliver on its promise that it would assist Afghan nationals who acted as handlers and translators to U.S. servicemembers. … Moulton once again advocated for the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act. The legislation would make it easier for Afghan nationals who settled in the U.S. following the American military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan to stay in the country.”
— “Biden administration extends immigration protections for Haitians,”by Rafael Bernal, The Hill: “Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday extended immigration protections for Haitians in the United States, granting work permits and deferral from deportation to those who were in the country as of Nov. 6. … ‘This decision will save lives and is the type of compassionate response this moment demands,’ tweeted Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), one of the Democrats leading the push asking for the TPS extension and redesignation.”
PROPAGANDA: A message from NextEra Energy:
IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN
— “Court upholds decision to revoke permits for Springfield biomass plant,”by Dharna Noor, Boston Globe: “In a win for environmental justice and public health advocates, the state has delivered a major setback to a bitterly contested proposal to build a wood waste-burning power plant in Springfield. The plant’s developer, Palmer Renewable Energy, had promoted its plan for a $150 million 35-megawatt facility as a climate friendly alternative to fossil fuels. But it received intense opposition from locals and environmental justice advocates who said it would spew soot and toxic pollution that could aggravate health problems in nearby poor communities while also warming the climate.”
— “Healey committed to equitable clean energy transition, Gina McCarthy says,”by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “Gina McCarthy, co-chair of [Gov.-elect Maura] Healey’s ‘Climate Readiness, Resiliency and Adaption’ transition policy committee, said the incoming governor wants to develop affordable climate plans that will not leave out or harm marginalized communities. … ‘We have a whole infrastructure of fossil fuels that will need, in some way, to transition out,’ McCarthy said in a virtual Boston Globe event Monday afternoon.”
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— “Report: Mass. business confidence rebounds,”by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “Massachusetts employers are confident about the economic climate despite record high inflation, persistent labor shortages and the passage of a new income tax that could affect thousands of businesses, according to a new report. The latest Business Confidence Index, which is compiled by the pro-business group Associated Industries of Massachusetts, shows overall enthusiasm among employers edged up 7.8 points to 58.7 in November.”
— “Medford teachers vote no confidence in mayor, school committee,”by Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald: “Following months of unresolved, overdue contract negotiations, Medford teachers gathered outside City Hall Monday afternoon to deliver an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the mayor and school committee. … The negotiations have come close to a resolution, even reaching a tentative agreement that was ultimately voted down by educators.”
JOIN WEDNESDAY FOR A POLITICO DISCUSSION ON THE NEW TRAVEL EXPERIENCE : Americans are now traveling in record numbers — but the travel experience has changed drastically in recent years, not always for the better. What lessons can we learn from the pandemic and different responses around the globe? And in the face of a possible recession, what will help the travel industry remain vibrant and deliver jobs? Join POLITICO onDec. 7 for “The Travel Experience Redefined” to discuss these questions and more. Breakfast and coffee will be provided. REGISTER HERE .
MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
— THE OTHER LOCAL GOP LEADERSHIP FIGHT: New Hampshire Republican National Committeeman Chris Ager is running for state party chair. Ager, who’s also the Hillsborough County Republicans’ chair, announced his candidacy Monday after Steve Stepanek said last week he wouldn’t seek a third term as party leader. Failed U.S. Senate candidate Don Bolduc is among those running for the vice chair seat being vacated by Pamela Tucker. Leadership elections are set for late January.
— FITN FALLOUT: Granite State Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan skipped last night’s congressional ball at the White House in a show of anger over President Joe Biden’s plan to make South Carolina the first 2024 Democratic presidential primary and have New Hampshire and Nevada follow on a shared date, per Punchbowl News and The Hill .
And top Republicanshave denounced the DNC’s demand that New Hampshire repeal the law requiring its primary to be held at least a week before any others. The DNC is also telling New Hampshire to make early voting easier if it wants to stay in the early state window. The RNC is not changing its 2024 calendar, which maintains New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Rep. Peter Durant, Tim Biba, Matt Chilliak, Adam Hogue, Ali Schmidt-Fellner and Hanna Switlekowski.
Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
South Coast Rail project chugging along in New Bedford — here's what to expect in 2023
Kathryn Gallerani
Standard-Times Published Dec. 22, 2022
NEW BEDFORD — New Bedford hasn’t had a direct link to Boston since the 1950s, but that’s going to change by the end of next year.
The South Coast Rail project will restore commuter rail service between Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. New Bedford, Taunton and Fall River are the only major cities within 50 miles of Boston without commuter rail access.
This past year, the South Coast Rail project made enormous progress, with the midpoint of construction achieved this past spring and work on one of the lines now substantially complete, according to MBTA Deputy Press Secretary Lisa Battiston.
State and local officials celebrated the substantial completion of the Fall River Secondary Line with a ribbon cutting at Freetown Station on Dec. 5.
Battiston said work will continue through the winter on the larger contract which includes the New Bedford Main Line, the Middleborough Secondary Line, four stations and the Wamsutta layover facility.
“New Bedford residents have already seen activity at the Church Street Station site and at the New Bedford Station near the Seastreak parking lot,” she said. “They can anticipate work continuing through the winter, with efforts increasing as the 2023 construction season launches around March. At this time, crews are working in the Wamsutta layover site and doing track work in and around New Bedford.”
She said the project team meets regularly with city departments and officials to keep the city up-to-date on activity and progress and promoting ongoing coordination. South Coast Rail will likely conduct a public meeting in the spring to update residents on work completed and next steps.
“The project team looks forward to a busy and productive 2023,” she said.
Work underway at new commuter rail stops
The Church Street Station at 387 Church St. will be the second to last stop with the New Bedford Station on Acushnet Avenue in the Whale’s Tooth parking lot the final stop on the New Bedford Main Line.
The Wamsutta Layover Facility site at 217 Herman Melville Blvd. is just to the north of the last stop on the South Coast Rail route.
An interactive corridor map online provides a detailed, street-by-street view of the entire first phase and full build corridors, including each station and layover facility.
Anyone can enter a property’s street address to locate where a property is in relation to the tracks using the search tool.
The MBTA plans to operate three morning peak trains and three evening peak trains to both New Bedford and Fall River.
The Fall River Secondary Line includes two stations and the Weaver's Cove layover facility in Fall River. At 87% complete, contractor Skanska/D.W. White is wrapping up punchlist items, doing site cleanup, installing fencing, and completing work at that layover facility.
Besides the two New Bedford stations, East Taunton Station and Middleborough Station are also under construction, with crews at all four sites installing drainage systems, electrical conduit and connections and constructing platforms.
At full buildout, commuter rail service on the Stoughton Line will extend to the New Bedford and Fall River lines.
What you need to know about the return of South Coast Rail — Who's getting new stations?
Namu Sampath
The Enterprise
Published May 12, 2022
BROCKTON — The South Coast Rail project is back "on track" for the first time in more than half a century with a plan to open to riders next spring.
Jean Fox, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) project manager, said, "celebrities and locals would travel to and from Boston and Fall River (and everywhere in the middle), in the 40s and 50s."
"But, in 1959, the same year the Expressway opened, the last train ran," she continued. "Cars and highways were the downfall of railroads and trains."
Brockton is included on the already existing Middleboro main line commuter rail with three stations: Montello, Brockton and Campello. Next year, the Middleboro secondary line, the Fall River line and the New Bedford main line will be added to the route.
MassDOT is currently in the process of phase one of the project, which broke ground in July 2019, where 56 miles of the railroads are being set in place, according to the project's website.
Prior to the actual construction of the railroads, an early action contract was completed by March 2021.
According to the website, crews:
Replaced four railroad bridges,
Installed 46 culverts as part of the drainage system,
Ordered and stored long-lead special track materials in advance to reduce construction delays, and
Constructed five wetland mitigation areas and began monitoring their success
Now that phase one has commenced, "crews are reconstructing 12.1 miles of the Fall River Secondary, which is currently a freight line, to lift speed restrictions and allow for commuter rail service," Fox said. What the the work crews are doing "includes tree clearing, erosion control and survey work along the tracks," Fox said.
Construction in the coming years will include:
Eight rail bridges
10 new grade crossings and four interlockings
Two new stations and a layover facility for storing trains overnight
"Trains on the completed Fall River Secondary Line will travel through Berkley, Freetown, and Fall River," the project's website said.
As of the end of April 2022, the Fall River Line contract is on track and is at 58% completion.
Who's getting new train stations?
The South Coast line will include six new stations: two in New Bedford, one in Middleboro, one in Fall River, one in Freetown and one in East Taunton.
Fox projected that the new line will have about 1,600 riders and will increase overall MBTA ridership.
"We want to drive home the point of safety," Fox said. "The new trains will allow riders to board from any car, and our new stations will allow for bike parking, car parking and electric vehicle (EV) charging and parking."
Connecting people with jobs
Another main focus of the rail is increasing economic development and housing opportunities.
"With the new line, there will be so many great jobs," she said. "The regions included on the South Coast Rail line deserve this connection, and this will boost job opportunities and vitality. Additionally, mixed-use developments will pop up near train stations."
A letter to the editor published in the Fall River Herald News in 2017 highlighted the facts for many who live near the up-and-coming stations:
"The new Fall River-New Bedford to Boston commuter rail would tie new cities into transfer of intellectual and professionally valuable citizens. It will provide an opportunity for modernization, change and growth. A new mercantile culture would appear, along with a new vibrancy of educational institutions.
The whole area would catch the flow of new investment dollars in real estate and modern housing. The new rail would provide for migration of the urban millennial generation," the resident wrote.
Fox agreed.
"Immigrants and minorities will have increased opportunities," she said. "The combination of transportation and education will remove barriers for our communities."
The new railway will also connect students across the state to opportunities to pursue higher education.
"I think the South Coast Rail coming back to the gateway cities will create more business opportunities for entrepreneurs and more jobs for residents," said Simone Delphonse, a Ward 3A Brockton resident and career specialist for MassHire, a career center in Brockton.
Reducing traffic on Route 24?
With motor vehicle crashes on federal, state and local roadways on the rise, taking the train may also be an alternative to heavy traffic, specifically on major expressways.
"It will also reduce traffic on Route 24 and will bring these communities closer," Delphonse continued.
Building boom in rail towns?
Many business and property owners whose businesses and homes abut the railways were also in attendance at Friday's luncheon.
John "Jay" Mahoney, the chief operating officer of Fairview Millwork & Kitchens in Bridgewater, said he sees "great opportunity for the municipalities on the South Coast Rail line (SCRL) to develop smart growth projects oriented around these commuter rail stops."
Mahoney's hope is that "the construction of the SCRL is a catalyst for the communities on the route, from Brockton and Bridgewater in the north through Fall River and New Bedford in the south, to rethink how enhanced transit options and the unique character of each of their towns could be leveraged."
"Fairview Millwork & Kitchens is a retailer of millwork products for residential construction selling to both homeowners and professional tradespeople," he added.
Work like what Mahoney does invites and welcomes "investments in well-planned construction projects around the SCR commuter stations," he said. "Construction of good homes for families and new business locations provides demand for regional construction-related employment and the purchase of materials from local businesses like ours."
In addition, the MBTA and MassDOT put together a document for abutters to understand what their rights and responsibilities are. One of the main requests the MBTA had for abutters is to remove all personal property from the area so that surveyors may clear vegetation along the "right-of-way," areas.
Fox also spoke to the accomplishments that have already been completed:
$242 million worth of work has been completed as of March 2022
Four rail bridges have been built, and
So far, five of 10 culverts, and all 10 crossings have been constructed
Per the New Bedford Main Line and the Middleboro Secondary Line, Fox stated that MassDOT will be testing everything before they are used by the public.
"We are also reusing parts so that nothing gets wasted," she continued.
What's the deal with the Stoughton line?
Since the 1970s, Southeastern Massachusetts constituents started advocating for a Stoughton line, which would connect Fall River, Taunton and New Bedford to Boston through Stoughton, Easton and Raynham.
In the mid-2000's, the Stoughton line was heavily considered alongside the Middleboro line — which was eventually chosen, despite being the slower route to travel by roughly 15 minutes and less climate-friendly.
"Engineers recommended the Stoughton line because it was the most efficient and effective route connecting all of those communities," said State Sen. Marc Pacheco, who represents the state's first Plymouth and Bristol district and is a longtime advocate of the South Coast Rail project. "The Stoughton line was electrified and would help reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions."
Then, at the start of the Baker-Polito administration, the governor announced the South Coast Rail project would be broken up into two phases — and the Stoughton line project was derailed.
"People were disappointed, but the current plan for the South Coast Rail is so long overdue," Pacheco said of the current status of the project. "It's better than not having a rail system connecting communities of southeast Massachusetts at all."
Pacheco hopes that the governor holds true to his promise to build the Stoughton line in phase two.
"It's really the preferred option," he said. "It's a travesty there hasn't been a connection through Stoughton yet."
Apart from it being the more efficient of the two routes, the Stoughton alternative could also eventually connect to Rhode Island.
"That would be a better use of federal funding because then multiple states would be connected through one train service," he continued.
Pacheco also mentioned that phase two of the South Coast Rail project may not happen under the Baker-Polito administration.
"Our residents are aware that the Stoughton line may not happen in the next few years, but it's within reach to achieve the proper outcomes," Pacheco said. "Our younger generation is doing a lot to make sure the commitment that Gov. Baker made five years ago carries over through to the next governor. The commitment needs to happen now."
