Regional News (archive)

2008

• Dec. 23 — Residents of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, got a setback when a judge ruled that time had run out to appeal the erecting of a 58-by-37-foot illuminated "storefront" on a Toyota dealership. But now Portsmouth's Planning Board wants to reexamine the dealer's original application.

• Nov. 21 — Vermont's Outdoor Lighting Study Committee held its first meeting at the state offices in Montpelier. Members of the Board plan to develop a website and assess existing lighting ordinances. The next meeting will be held in January. For more information, contact coordinator Debra Sachs ( dsachs@10percentchallenge.org ).

• Nov. 16 — Our Council met to discuss recent progress and plan future activities. Catch up on light-pollution initiatives throughout New England by reading the latest NELPAG Circular here.

• Nov. 4 — By a vote of 2,270 to 568, residents of Bar Harbor, Maine, enacted outdoor-lighting regulations (Article 13) that should help to preserve the region's beautiful nighttime skies. A front-page article in November 28th's Boston Globe provides details.

• July 31 — The Massachusetts state legislature ended its two-year session today without taking action on House Bill 808, which would have required fully shielded lighting for state-funded projects.

• April 28 — The City Manager for Cambridge, MA, has been asked to draw up a plan "to make city outdoor lighting energy efficient and respectful of "dark sky" principles." Contact Councilor Henrietta Davis to voice your support!

• April 6 — According to an article in the Boston Globe, officials in Shirley, MA, may turn off many of the town's streetlights to help bridge a $600,000 shortfall in the municipal budget. The Town of Winchendon likewise decided to turn off many streetlights beginning in July 2007.

• Jan. 28 — Connecticut's Department of Public Utility Control issued a ruling that paves the way for "midnight rates" for streetlights. To see the ruling, download the document here and scroll to the streetlighting section on page 133.

2007

• Dec. 16 — A thorough article on the spread of light pollution throughout Rhode Island and New England appears in the ''Providence Journal''.

• Nov. 19 — A Union Leader article describes how Waterville Valley, NH, converted to fully shielded streetlights and loves the result.

• Nov. 18 — House Bill 808 comes before the Massachusetts Legislature's Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy

• Nov. 12 — The Boston Globe published an editorial, "Hope for a Dimmer Future," urging state politicians to pass outdoor-lighting legislation. See also the supportive Letter to the Editor published on Nov. 14th.

• Oct. 4 — The Boston Globe publishes "Blinded by the Lights," a feature-length article about the spread of light pollution.

• June 14 — NELPAG reps led a panel discussion about light pollution at a meeting of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston.

• May 27 — The home observatory of Mario Motta, a member of the NELPAG Council, is featured in the Boston Globe.

• May 1 — The city of Newton, MA, begins replacing all 8,400 of its streetlights with fully shielded, energy-efficient ones.