Massachusetts

November 7, 2011 -- BOSTON – Senator John Kerry today announced that the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART), in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Cape Cod and MetroWest Regional Planning Authorities and several local veterans agencies, will receive $2 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide vital transportation support to almost 600,000 veterans, and their families, across the state who are seeking jobs, education, healthcare and other support services.

Michigan and Illinois Among the Most Improved

2011 Energy Scorecard Top 10 Also Includes NY, OR, VT, WA, RI, MN, CT, MD; States Most in Need of Improvement Are: ND, WY, MS, KS, OK, SC, WV, MO, AL, and SD … While MI, IL, NE, TN, AL and MD Are Six Most Improved States.

October 20, 2011 -- Washington, D.C.—A sour U.S. economy, tight state budgets, and a failure by Congress to adopt a comprehensive energy strategy have not slowed the growing momentum among U.S. states toward increased energy efficiency, according to the fifth edition of the annual ACEEE State Energy Efficiency Scorecard released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) during a National Press Club news conference.

Is still in the race for more than $4 billion

March 4, 2010 -- BOSTON – Senator John Kerry today announced that Massachusetts has advanced to Tier 2 of the Race to the Top Competition. The competition, which is run by the U.S. Department of Education, challenges states to positively reform their education systems. The winner will be awarded $4.35 billion.

Race to the Top awards go to States that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform. Race to the Top winners help trail-blaze effective reforms and provide examples for states and local school districts throughout the country to follow.

Makes investments to build stronger, better Commonwealth; holds line on spending while making tough cuts

BOSTON – January 27, 2010 – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today released his Fiscal Year 2011 budget, a balanced, fiscally responsible plan that maintains an unprecedented commitment to education, cities and towns, and health care, while also reflecting his Administration’s continued efforts to speed the Commonwealth’s economic recovery and lay a foundation for long-term growth.

Competitive Grant Award Funds Historic Upgrade of Connecticut River Line

BOSTON – January 28, 2010 – As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration's Massachusetts Recovery Plan, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, Senator John Kerry, Senator Paul Kirk, Congressman John Olver and Congressman Richard Neal today announced the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $70 million for final design and construction of the “Knowledge Corridor” along the Connecticut River rail line in western Massachusetts.

Commonwealth Energy Solutions will cut state spending on energy by tens of millions through bulk purchasing and sophisticated management

BOSTON – Monday, January 25, 2010 – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today unveiled a series of cost-cutting energy management solutions to be included in his Fiscal Year 2011 budget recommendation, including an innovative bulk energy purchasing system designed to consolidate fiscal management, reduce waste, and cut the energy bills of state agencies, quasi-public authorities, state colleges and universities, and municipalities.

Projects Will Create Thousands Of Jobs

BOSTON – Monday, January 25, 2010 – As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and members of the congressional delegation today released $185 million in federal recovery funds for water infrastructure improvement projects. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants and State Revolving Fund (SRF) financing will support statewide construction projects worth nearly $800 million, maintaining and creating thousands of jobs across Massachusetts.

01/20/2010 -- WASHINGTON -- United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today commented on Scott Brown's victory in the special Massachusetts Senate election to fill the seat of the late Ted Kennedy.

Sen. Landrieu said:

"The loss in Massachusetts should serve as a wake-up call to the wing of the Democratic Party that wants the federal government to overreach and overspend. We need to get back to the basics. Senate Democrats must use this setback to increase our efforts to find bipartisan, fiscally responsible solutions that makes sense to Americans of all walks of life.

Nearly $500,000 investment from National Science Foundation to benefit solar cell research

01/15/10 -- CORNING, NY - Today, Congressman Eric Massa announced a $454,810 National Science Foundation grant for the Rochester Institute of Technology to advance research into solar photovoltaics.

The project, entitled “CAREER: Strain Balanced Quantum Dots for High Concentration Solar Photovoltaics,” is an ongoing project which is expected to have impacts on the further advancement of nanostructured materials for solar energy harvesting.

Students will have the opportunity to spend the summer at NASA Glenn Research Center's Photovoltaics and Power Technologies Branch, learning solar cell characterization techniques.

Signed on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, new law delivers on Governor’s promise to give all students access to a world-class education, strengthens state’s ability to access $250M in federal funds

BOSTON – Monday, January 18, 2010 – Delivering on his promise to transform public education in Massachusetts and give all children the chance they deserve to succeed, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today signed historic legislation that will turnaround underperforming schools, promote innovation and choice and eliminate achievement gaps that persist despite the successes of the state's landmark Education Reform Act of 1993.