Regional News

(Check these pages too: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)

2010

• Sep. 9 — Head to Bar Harbor, Maine, for the 2nd annual Acadia Night Sky Festival: five days of lectures, workshops, stargazing, and other events "to promote the protection and enjoyment of Downeast/Acadia’s stellar night sky as a valuable natural resource." Hosted by Island Astronomy Institute.

• Aug. 23 — Deadline for public comments on the latest draft of the Model Lighting Ordinance, an effort by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) to create standardized wording for outdoor-lighting regulation. The comment form is available here.

• July 31 — The Massachusetts State Legislature ended its 2009-10 session without voting on any of the six different outdoor-lighting bills filed over the past two years. Click here for details.

• June 16 — Officials in Concord, MA, have approved a plan to remove nearly half of the town's streetlights as a cost-saving measure. Residents have the option to retain a streetlight pegged for removal for $17 a month and a two-year commitment.

• June 14 — S.1481, Sen. Cynthia Creem's dark-sky bill, was reported out of the Massachusetts Legislature's Joint Energy Committee favorably this morning. It now goes to the Senate's Ways and Means Committee and, hopefully, from there to the Senate floor for a vote.

• Apr. 16 — NELPAG's Kelly Beatty joined IDA executive director Bob Parks to spotlight dark-sky issues at this year's NorthEast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) in Suffern, NY.

• Feb. 18 — Green Mountain Power has submitted a plan to the Vermont Public Service Board to offer LED lights to replace worn-out mercury-vapor street lights throughout its service area.

2009

• Nov. 29 — The city of Boston has installed a set of LED-powered streetlights along a walkway on the Boston Common to gauge public reaction to these appearance of these state-of-the-art fixtures. A local lighting designer's critique is here.

• Nov. 16 — The Keene Sentinel published a front-page story about light pollution in southern New Hamshire. It featured interviews with Stoddard amateur astronomer Fred Ward and NELPAG's Kelly Beatty. (The article requires a paid subscription to view.)

• Aug. 17 — Officials in Andover, MA, have voted to turn off 626 streetlights, a move estimated to save $47,000 annually. This is about a third of Andover's nearly 1,700 streetlights, most of which are owned by National Grid.

• Aug. 8 — Outdoor-lighting activists from around New England met Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, to discuss light-pollution issues and strategies. For information, contact organizer Maryann Arrien (arrien (at) optonline.net).

• July 23 — This weeks crews began pulling the plug on roughly half of the 3,000 streetlights in Milton, MA.

• July 15 — Today New Hampshire governor John Lynch signed HB 585, legislation that establishes regulations for outdoor lighting in state-funded projects and requires utilities to create "half-night" rates for streetlights that turn off after midnight. New Hampshire joins Connecticut and Maine as the New England states with outdoor-lighting regulations.

• June 16 — NELPAG member Mario Motta authored the American Medical Association's Resolution 516 concerning outdoor lighting, light pollution, and the effects of glare on night vision. It passed unanimously today.

• Apr. 28 — Today Governor John Baldacci signed Maine's dark-sky bill, designated HP 6, LD11. Maine becomes the second New England state with outdoor-lighting legislation in force.

• Apr. 30 — A committee of the New Hampshire Senate favorably reported out HB 585 as "Ought to Pass," setting the stage for approval by the full Senate on May 6th.

• Apr. 28 — Maine's dark-sky bill, designated HP 6, LD11, won Senate approval today (after House approval on April 16th) and is awaiting signature by Governor John Baldacci, who supports it.

• Apr. 15 — NELPAG members Mario Motta and Kelly Beatty testified at public hearing on Beacon Hill in support of a quartet of bills to regulate outdoor lighting in Massachusetts.

• Apr. 10 — Today is the deadline for voicing your opinion about the Model Lighting Ordinance, an effort by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) to create standardized wording for outdoor-lighting regulation.

• Apr. 3 — Maine Watch, presented by the Maine Public Broadcast Network, highlights issues surrounding light pollution. Host Jennifer Rooks interviews Martha Sheils (the International Dark-Sky Association's section leader in Maine) and Robert Burgess (an active amateur astronomer and a NASA solar-system ambassador).

• Mar. 28 — After a successful kickoff last fall, "Lights Out Boston" begins its spring program today and runs through May 31st. More than 30 commercial skyscrapers in the city's downtown are will turn off or dim all architectural and internal lighting between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. to protect migrating birds.

• Mar. 24 — The New Hampshire House of Representatives adopted HB 585, the Outdoor Lighting Efficiency Act of 2009, by unanimous voice vote. This "dark skies" bill now goes to the Senate for a committee hearing in late April.

• Mar. 16 — All NELPAG members are urged to participate in “GLOBE at Night”, which begins this evening and runs through March 28th. Now in its fourth year, “GAN” is essentially a worldwide star-counting activity that anyone can do — no telescopes or optical equipment is needed. You'll use simple sky charts to determine how many stars you can see in the constellation Orion — the fewer stars seen, the worse the light pollution is at your location.

• Mar. 3 — The first legislative hearing for HB 585 in the New Hampshire Legislature took place before the House Science, Technology and Energy Committees. Committee members heard strong endorsements from NELPAG and IDA, conservation groups, and the Electric Cooperative utility. A subcommittee will now take up the bill for further action.

• Feb. 24 — Cambridge City Councilor Henrietta Davis held a Health and Environment Committee meeting that brought together community activists, lighting designers, and city officials to discuss problems with existing outdoor lighting and possible pathways for improving it citywide.

• Feb. 13 — Outdoor-lighting bills have been filed in both the Massachusetts House and Senate. Written by NELPAG council members Mario Motta and Kelly Beatty, the bills have 14 Senate cosponsors and 16 House cosponsors. Details here.

• Feb. 13 — By a vote of 5-0, selectmen in Groton have voted to turn off 199 of the town's 719 streetlights. The move came after a public hearing at which no one voiced opposition to the plan.

• Feb. 12 — The Green Mountain State's outdoor-lighting committee met to hear noted lighting expert James Benya discuss the future of outdoor lighting. The group plans to meet again in mid-March.

• Feb. 5 — The Maine legislature's Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development held a public hearing about a new statewide initiative that would task the State Planning Office with establishing uniform standards designed to limit light pollution.

• Jan. 22 — HB 585, the "Outdoor Lighting Efficiency Act of 2009," has been filed for consideration by the New Hampshire legislature. Read all about it here, then contact your state rep to support it!

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