Tagged: martha coakley

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley wants to toughen the state’s open meeting law. WAMC’s Paul Tuthill reports…

Coakley on Monday proposed a new regulation that would allow state and local governmental bodies to be punished if they act with "deliberate ignorance" of the law, which requires most meetings to be accessible to the public.

Under current regulations, public entities can be fined up to $1,000 for violating the law, but only if the violation is found to be intentional after a previous warning from a court or prosecutor.

Massachusetts' only nuclear power plant is seeking permission to operate another 20 years. But as a decision nears, some high ranking state officials say a record-long federal review of the request by the owners of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station hasn't been long enough.  WAMC’s Tristan O’Neill reports…

The Plymouth plant's license expires June 8. Its owner, Entergy, is asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew the license until 2032.

Massachusetts lawmakers are planning to hold a hearing on a ballot question that would legalize the medical use of marijuana.  WAMC's Tristan O'Neill reports...

The ballot question would allow patients with debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis to get permission from their doctors to use marijuana.

The plan also calls for the state to register up to 35 nonprofit medical treatment centers around the state to distribute the marijuana.

Attorney General Martha Coakley has certified the initiative to appear on the November ballot.

Attorney General Martha Coakley has filed an appeal challenging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision to go ahead with hearings to grant a new 20-year license extension for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant.  WAMC's Tristan O'Neill reports...

The appeal challenges the decision to continue the relicensing process for the Plymouth-based nuclear power plant before considering what Coakley said are lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan.

The Massachusetts Senate has unanimously passed a bill that aims to curb energy costs while requiring state utilities to buy more renewable power.   WAMC's Tristan O'Neill reports...

The bill passed Thursday requires utilities to enter long-term contracts with renewable power companies for 7 percent of their energy supplies, up from 3 percent.

The companies must competitively bid for the contracts, instead of one-on-one negotiations allowed now. And a state payment to utilities that agree to the deals drops from 4 percent of the contract's annual value to 1 percent.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has joined 10 other attorneys general in calling on Congress to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United campaign finance case.  WAMC's Tristan O'Neill reports...

In a letter dated Wednesday, the attorneys general urged Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker John Boehner and other congressional leaders to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution overturning the ruling.