THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021 Page 15 Spring into Science: Five Ways You Can Help Track the Signs of Spring and Climate Change BOSTON — Springtime is a season that is shifting around the country. With balmy weather and “winter weather whiplash” in the Northeast, the Polar Vortex driving record low temperatures in the South, among other weather oddities, these unusual seasons are unpredictable interruptions that are signs of change. Climate change isn’t just the long, gradual ramp-up (or shifting baseline) of warming temperatures. It also manifests in extreme fl uctuations in weather conditions, which overall show us a picture of more variability and increasing intensity of storms and extreme conditions, causing outsized impacts on ecosystems, economies and infrastructure. Dr. Sarah Nelson, Research Director for Appalachian Mountain Club, America’s oldest outdoor organization, shares fi ve ways you can help scientists track the seasons and further understand the sensitivity of spring: 1. Listen to the science. Information is power; learn and do your own research. Vet the things you read and hear before spreading falsehoods. AMC shares information about climate change science and impacts here, and debunks myths about climate change here. 2. Reduce your carbon footprint. Data proves that we will see more loss of cold and winter if we continue on a high emissions scenario than a lower-emissions scenario. Greenhouse gases drive our climate and directly translate to changing temperatures. More about AMC’s eff orts in this arena, and a carbon footprint calculator, here: www.outdoors.org/AMCAtWork. 3. Get your boots muddy! With earlier springtime weather, you may be hitting the trail but earlier mud season and more mud days could mean more damage to sensitive vegetation and trails. Even if it means muddy boots, stay on the trail to avoid damaging tender plants along the edges. More about Leave No Trace from AMC, here: https://www.outdoors.org/articles/amc-outdoors/leave-notrace-travel-and-camp-on-durable-surfaces. 4. Chase the Spring. Now, scientists use plant phenology— the timing of life-cycle events like budburst and fl owering— as an indicator of shifting seasons. To help understand how seasons could be shifting in the mountains, you can chase the seasons right through spring and summer by joining iNaturalist and AMC’s Northeast Alpine Flower Watch program when you are out hiking. The data will help to identify how spring phenology is changing in the region. 5. Join AMC's Conservation Action Network. Learn about and speak up on issues that threaten the Northeast outdoors as well as opportunities to ensure that treasured locations and landscapes can be enjoyed for generations to come. Appalachian Mountain Club’s Dr. Sarah Nelson brings more than two decades of scientific scholarship to her role as AMC’s director of research. Before joining AMC in September 2019, Nelson spent 21 years at the University of Maine, most recently directing the Ecology and Environmental Sciences program and serving as associate research professor in the School of Forest Resources. She helps lead a national program she cofounded, called The Dragonfl y Mercury Project, collecting citizen science data on mercury levels in dragonfl y larvae—engaging more than 4,500 citizen scientists in 100 parks across 47 states over 10 years. To learn more about the Appalachian Mountain Club, please visit: www.outdoors.org. Baker files legislation to improve public safety and data reporting requirements for transportation network companies O n April 15 the Baker-Polito Administration fi led legislation to build on the Commonwealth’s comprehensive oversight of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) by improving public safety requirements and obtaining additional ride data to assist with transportation planning, congestion management and vehicle emissions tracking. Additionally, An Act relative to transportation network companies would provide needed fl exibility for the ban on surge pricing during a State of Emergency and expand the types of companies subject to state TNC laws and regulations. “The safety of Massachusetts residents and visitors is our top priority and this legislation will institute additional public safety measures for passengers and law enforcement, provide important information to transportation planners and reduce administrative burdens for cities and towns,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The Commonwealth was a national leader in providing background checks and a regulatory framework for the rideshare industry, and as the industry evolves into an important element of our transportation system, we are pleased to fi le this bill ensuring that the Commonwealth’s transportation network can continue to grow in a safe and responsible manner.” “This legislation continues our Administration’s eff orts to promote economic growth and modernize our transportation system, and we look forward to working with our partners in the Legislature to move this bill forward and ensure safe, reliable transportation options for all Commonwealth residents,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “Critically, this legislation will make sure communities are provided the information they need to make local infrastructure and environmental planning decisions.” “Transportation emissions account for over 40 percent of climate-changing emissions in Massachusetts, so the BakerPolito Administration is working hard to reduce these emissions and protect Commonwealth residents,” said Secretary of Energy and Environmental Aff airs Kathleen Theoharides. “As the rideshare industry continues to grow in the Commonwealth, this legislation would ensure we have the data we need to combat climate change and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.” “From a public safety perspective, this bill will greatly enhance our eff orts to protect TNC users,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Security Thomas Turco. “By strengthening the laws against ‘account renting,’ creating a criminal penalty for misusing riders’ personal information, and adding additional regulatory safeguards, it will help ensure that riders know whose car they’re entering and that they can do so safely.” The Administration previously fi led An Act relative to public safety and transparency by transportation network companies in 2019, but the current legislation includes a newly fi led provision that gives the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) exclusive authority to regulate large livery companies operating throughout the state on a digital network. This provision will ensure that livery companies operating on a digital network with over 100 drivers will be subject to the statewide TNC laws and regulations. Smaller livery companies will remain regulated at the municipal level, regardless of whether they operate on a digital network. The proposal would build on Massachusetts’s TNC safety and enforcement laws, some of the most stringent and comprehensive in the country, by: • Increasing fi nes and penalties – up to two and half years in a House of Correction – for the practice of “account renting,” or allowing another individual to use a TNC driver’s account or identity to provide TNC services. • Making it a criminal off ense for a driver to exploit the personal information of a rider to stalk, harass or defraud a rider. • Implementing tougher penalties for drivers who fail to maintain a driver certifi cate or a background check clearance certificate, fail to display TNC vehicle decals, fail to maintain adequate insurance or fail to carry proof of a TNC vehicle inspection. This legislation also allows for new transportation data to be collected from TNCs and eases the administrative burden on small towns. Specifi cally, the bill will authorize the DPU to obtain more detailed trip data from TNCs on a monthly basis that can then be shared in an anonymous and confi dential manner with state agencies, municipalities and local organizations for planning purposes. The more detailed data called for in this legislation includes total miles and minutes when drivers are en route to pick up riders and when they are providing rides, whether riders were successfully matched for shared rides, and additional data on accidents and reasonable accommodations. Under the legislation, better emissions data can be collected by requiring TNCs to report the total miles and minutes that each vehicle is on the road, together with vehicle make, model and year information. Under the legislation, the reporting requirements for communities that receive $25,000 or less annually from TNCs are reduced and those communities can make spending decisions on those relatively small funds without going through their local appropriation process. The additional data will help transportation planners analyze how rides impact transportation infrastructure and the environment and allow them to make more informed decisions about the location of dedicated bus lanes, specific investments in infrastructure, and overall impacts from vehicle emissions. The legislation also gives the DPU the authority to determine whether it is appropriate to permit TNCs to use surge pricing during a State of Emergency. Enabling surge pricing under certain circumstances and with appropriate limitations could increase the supply of drivers, which reduces wait times and ensures reliable transportation options. Since January 2017, the Transportation Network Company Division of the DPU has implemented the most comprehensive state background checks for TNC drivers in the country, and it has approved over 240,000 individuals to operate as TNC drivers, although not all are currently active drivers. Drivers engaged in providing transportation services on behalf of TNCs undergo a full state driving record and Criminal Off ender Record Information (CORI) background check. Additionally, drivers are subjected to a biannual national commercial background check conducted by the TNCs. TNC rides that started in the Commonwealth increased from 64.8 million in 2017 to 91.1 million in 2019. For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 781-286-8500 or Info@advocatenews.net
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