In the News

Reaction is mixed today after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an agreement to carry out a new cleanup of the polluted Housatonic River. An overflow crowd packed into the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum on the shores of Woods Pond for the announcement. The body of water is east of Lenox proper, with October Mountain State Park stretching out for miles on its eastern… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD — The U.S. Postal Service’s newest “forever” stamp, featuring PBS newsperson Gwen Ifill, was officially unveiled Sunday in the atrium of the former Classical High School by Springfield Post Master Joseph Conti and the Black Leadership Alliance. Ifill graduated from the school in 1973. On hand for the unveiling were U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal; Rhonda… Read more »

The House Ways and Means Committee released a proposal Friday to curb surprise medical bills, offering a new bipartisan plan that the panel is set to mark up next week. Protecting patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills is a health care issue Democrats, Republicans and President Donald Trump say they want to move this year, but it has proven to be more difficult than many… Read more »

It will take significant federal funding for Massachusetts to establish train service connecting Boston and the western part of the state, transportation secretary Stephanie Pollack said Thursday. Her comments came as transportation officials released cost and ridership estimates for six versions of new rail service to better connect Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, and Boston. Costs… Read more »

A LONG-AWAITED ANALYSIS of East-West rail service indicates passengers could travel between Boston and Springfield in as little as 79 minutes at speeds up to 150 miles per hour, but the cost would be high – with a low-ball estimate putting the price tag at $25 billion. The analysis by consultants working for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation examined six alternatives… Read more »

BOSTON - A majority of the state’s Congressional delegation is asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office to launch an inquiry into how the Trump administration evaluates and permits energy projects and whether fossil fuel projects are prioritized to the detriment of renewable energy projects, like Vineyard Wind. In a letter to the GAO, the federal lawmakers said they are… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, who has called east-west passenger rail in Massachusetts a priority and has begun laying the groundwork for federal funding, has a message for folks experiencing sticker shock over estimates that put the cost in the billions. “Remember what we all pay for the MBTA system in Boston, which is now calling for a multibillion-dollar program… Read more »

HOLYOKE — The smell of pizza filled the ground-floor room at The Care Center on Monday as a group of around 30 women gathered to ask questions of a man who has represented their community for around 30 years — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal. The Springfield Democrat was in Holyoke for a question-and-answer session with students and teachers at The Care Center, which among other… Read more »

PITTSFIELD — While impeachment is front and center of all things political in the nation's capital these days, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, still has plenty of issues on his plate to wade through. They include pursuing President Donald Trump's tax returns, dealing with the impact of Brexit and keeping an eye on the spread of the coronavirus as cases begin to pop up in… Read more »

NORTHAMPTON — As Democrats in the nation’s capital unveiled a $760 billion infrastructure plan last week, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal was front and center — and so too was a pet project for many in western Massachusetts. The legislative outline, known as the “Moving Forward Framework,” is a plan to rebuild transportation infrastructure, expand broadband access… Read more »