People’s lack of trust in government is sometimes well deserved. This piece should be about a “climate crime,” but sadly it’s about another MBTA cover-up. It should be about ignorance of the importance of urban trees in our climate emergency. That climate science proves maintaining large trees is critical for public health. But that cannot be discussed because, to cover up this massacre, the MBTA misrepresents and denies where trees were cut, the size of the area, the size of the trees and the number of the trees cut.
The MBTA cut down about 70 trees on a weekend last May in an urban wild that cooled the massive heat island that is Alewife Station, its five-lane access boulevard and the surrounding industrial sites. As a result of my reporting that the MBTA violated the Wetlands Protection Act, they had to appear before the Cambridge Conservation Commission.
Christine Lentini, an MBTA environmental compliance officer, started by claiming they cleared a much smaller area instead of the actual area that is more than double in size. Then Lentini testified (video) they only “removed the small diameter trees, overgrown brush and vines” despite photos to the contrary. Next, the MBTA’s director of environmental review and permitting, Tess Paganelli, claimed she, her staff and contractors didn’t know these areas were in protected wetlands and needed an environmental permit. This is despite the clearing of trees and vegetation right up to Alewife Brook and the fact that their job is to know the regulations. Paganelli admitted inspecting the site two weeks later when the freshly cut stumps were easy to see and having “received all the comments,” which included my photos of many stumps.
Paganelli then repeatedly laughed and giggled (video) at my reporting that more than 70 trees were cut down, effectively insinuating I’m a liar. To prove that 70 trees weren’t removed, she displayed a survey to the commission and falsely claimed it documented there were only 22 trees on MBTA property. In reality, her survey was for an area (Area-4) on the opposite side of Alewife Brook that had nothing to do with the tree-cutting area.
Then Lentini further testified (video) that “they did remove more vines and overgrown brush from that area” (Area-2). In reality, at least seven trees were cut down, two being 21 inches in diameter.
The MBTA staff neglected to describe the extreme limbing of the remaining trees, removing everything up to about 20 feet high, and omitted that they cut down large trees inside both garage towers. There was also no admission of cutting down at least ten trees in Area-1, and also clearing into DCR’s Alewife Reservation.
Despite all this, I invited (video) the MBTA to a cooperative site visit and repeated my written comment’s request that the MBTA adhere to the Cambridge tree canopy plan. The MBTA, to this day, has ignored both propositions.
To be sure, the MBTA has serious problems such as billions in debt and trains that still aren’t running full speed. Maybe they can’t afford to care about a bunch of trees. That’s no excuse for a cover-up and reciting falsehoods to the public and their representatives.
My story is easy to verify. Go measure some tree stumps. Your MBTA wasted tens of thousands of your dollars to cut trees on a weekend when nobody was supposed to be around. Still the MBTA wants you to trust it with your life. This did not work out well for the person dragged to death in Broadway Station. And the MBTA covered up the green line extension flaws and continued installing defective tracks for years.
Lying destroys trust. Trust is needed to get thousands of riders back. There are enormous climate and financial implications of people using cars instead of the MBTA. Falsehoods and cover-ups must stop. The MBTA must implement a code of conduct and enforce it.
In the meantime, I’m taking a taxi to the airport.
Charles Teague lives in North Cambridge and is a longtime tree advocate.
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Our city and state governments forget they work for the people. Our elected officials espouse many lofty and righteous ideas but turn their heads when we need them most. They pass laws, ordinances, and action plans but claim to be powerless when these are violated or found to be seriously flawed (e.g., Chapter 87, Net Zero, Urban Forest Master Plan, CSO, AHO). Who do they represent?
Our civil servant foot soldiers are honest and hardworking, but their leadership needs to be more connected to the people they should work for and protect. This attitude permeates through to our community and basic quality of life.
When citizens, residents, and voters voice their concerns, we need our city and state government to take us seriously. They should work for us.
The MBTA contractors were in the wrong, but the MBTA really believes it is immune to taking responsibility for its actions time and again as it appears neither the city nor the state have any stomach to pursue them. This is the problem when a transportation exists as a combination public and private partnership as the MBTA does.
The MBTA answers really in the end to no one, as the the governor and the legislature are again not using the power of their office to force action on matters like this and the complaints of citizens or the city to them fall on deaf ears. This has gone on for decades.
I really appreciate Charlie following through on the MBTA cutting all those trees. What’s not clear to me is what the Cambridge Conservation Commission said in response. Will the MBTA follow Cambridge’s Tree Ordinance and plant trees or pay fines, even though it’s not legally required to do it?
Now that the MBTA is proposing to redevelop this garage and the T’s surrounding areas, it needs to be clear what Cambridge laws the T will and will not follow.