Dear Carole,

Peter and I are avid readers of SU and thought you might be interested in printing our story. I’ve attached an essay. Thanks for all you do. 

Diane J. Abatemarco, PhD, MSW

Carole, 

This [News Alert re: Tax Classification Hearing] was very helpful, informative and upbeat! Thank you. I genuinely appreciate your efforts to keep us informed. Bravo 

Anne Ferril

Dear Carole: 

So glad to get this because I don’t seem to have received the October (1st I think) Stockbridge Updates. I thought I had taken care of this in September; I don’t want to miss an issue, even though I am back in NYC until spring (mostly).

Thanks as always,

Patti

To the Editor:

As a private citizen, I have been asked my opinion on the candidates for Smitty’s position in the House of Representatives, based on my work on energy siting. I am not endorsing either candidate. This is just my observation of their decision-making on this legislation, knowing with the anticipated passage of the bill, our new representative will be thrown into a lion’s den as necessary regulations are developed. That will require understanding technical language’s impact, sharing factual information with the public, and making substantive recommendations based on that work.

During the discussions on the legislation, I found Marybeth Mitts engaged in the vital minutia that gave her an understanding of the numerous good and troublesome parts of the legislation. She even attended a Berkshire Regional Planning Board (BRPC) Rural Issues Committee meeting to listen to the discussion on the siting bill.

I have tried but have been unable to contact Leigh Davis; however, in a Letter to the Editor, she states, “She shared Michele Marantz’s disappointment that climate change was not addressed during the recent debate’. And went on to write, “Had I been asked, I would have expressed my frustration at the delay of the climate omnibus bill—more than a year and a half in the making—which, when passed, will be a significant step toward an equitable clean-energy transition. This bill streamlines permitting for large clean-energy infrastructure and enhances local control…” 

Please see my article in this issue of Stockbridge Updates about the significant decrease in local control in the omnibus climate bill.

Christine Rasmussen

Editor’s note: Rasmussen is the Stockbridge representative to BRPC.