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Sam Mintz

samjmintz

Sam Mintz is a Boston-based journalist covering transportation and energy policy. Before moving back to his hometown in 2021, Sam spent five years in D.C. covering Congress and federal agencies for Politico and E&E News. He lives in Brighton, equidistant to stops on the B,C, and D branches of the Green Line.

Recent Posts

A rendering of a purple and white train running under catenary wires with the MBTA logo.

Legislative Agenda Includes Rail Electrification, Congestion Pricing, and Traffic Enforcement Cameras

By Sam Mintz | Feb 6, 2023 | No Comments
With the inauguration of Governor Maura Healey, who has promised to make transportation one of her top priorities, leaders on Beacon Hill see an opportunity to make headway.
A woman wearing a sweatshirt, patterned skirt, and bike helmet pedals a battery-powered e-bike with a large cargo compartment that's covered in a red fabric tent in front of her handlebars.

Prospective Buyers Await Details of Mass. E-Bike Rebate Program

By Sam Mintz | Dec 15, 2022 | No Comments
It's still unknown whether people who buying e-bikes now could apply for rebates retroactively once the program is up and running.
Group of people walking toward the train doors on the North Station platform,

Could the New Governor Breathe New Life Into the T’s Regional Rail Plans?

By Sam Mintz | Nov 29, 2022 | No Comments
Maura Healey wants to get rid of the commuter rail as we know it. The next Massachusetts governor promised during the campaign to move from a system named after and designed for outdated societal expectations about work to a true regional rail system, the kind that transit advocates in the state have been dreaming of […]

Legislature Approves Long-Stalled Traffic Safety Bill With Compromises on Bike Light Requirements

By Sam Mintz | Sep 16, 2022 | No Comments
The version of the legislation which passed both the House and Senate this week includes a compromise: the new lighting rules can’t be the primary purpose for a police stop, and can’t be used as conclusive evidence of contributory negligence in a civil suit.
A derailed Red Line car blocks the tracks at the JFK/UMass station on June 11, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Boston Fire Department.

Gov.-Elect Healey’s Plans to Clean Up Charlie Baker’s Messes

By Sam Mintz | Aug 16, 2022 | No Comments
The gubernatorial front-runner endorses low-income fares and “outlining a pathway to fare free buses throughout the Commonwealth.”
The Massachusetts State House in downtown Boston.

Last-Minute Legislation Legalizes (Some) E-Bikes, Axes Low-Income Fares, and Throws More Cash At EVs

By Sam Mintz | Aug 1, 2022 | No Comments
Despite a late effort by the Senate to revive legislation requiring the MBTA and regional transit authorities to implement low-income fare discounts, the provision went missing from the final agreement.
A CharlieCard on top of stacked dollar bills

Mass. Senate Revives Low-Income Fare Legislation

By Sam Mintz | Jul 15, 2022 | No Comments
The low-income fare legislation still needs approval from the House of Representatives, whose leadership snubbed similar language when it voted on its own version of the bond bill last month.
Attorney General Maura Healey speaks at an event launching her campaign for governor outside the Maverick Blue Line station earlier this year.

What Maura Healey’s Climate Plan Reveals About Her Transportation Priorities 

By Sam Mintz | May 13, 2022 | No Comments
The framework contains a number of ideas about how to decarbonize the transportation sector, which generates roughly 40 percent of the state's climate-heating pollutants.
Foot and bike traffic in Coolidge Corner. Courtesy of the Town of Brookline.

Two Factions Square Off Over Housing Issues in Brookline Town Meeting Races

By Sam Mintz | Apr 26, 2022 | No Comments
A once-in-a-generation redistricting shakeup means that nearly every member of the Brookline Town Meeting is up for re-election this year, and two factions are squaring off over town zoning laws that prohibit affordable housing.
The Massachusetts State House in downtown Boston.

State House Update: The Latest on E-Bikes, Low-Income Fares, and Automated Enforcement Bills

By Sam Mintz | Apr 12, 2022 | No Comments
Some transportation advocates are looking at a new Senate climate bill as a way to advance more of their priorities, after the first draft of that bill neglected to include any policies that would expand transit services or promote biking or walking.
Chris Dempsey

Transit Advocate Chris Dempsey Wants to Be Our Next State Auditor

By Sam Mintz | Apr 6, 2022 | No Comments
“I think it’s been too long since we’ve had what you might call an urbanist in a statewide elected position in Massachusetts,” said Dempsey.
Headshots of Attorney General Maura Healey (left) and state Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz

How Transportation Issues Could Shape the Race to Replace Gov. Charlie Baker 

By Sam Mintz | Mar 23, 2022 | 1 Comment
The next governor of Massachusetts will enter office with another looming budget crunch at the MBTA, a historic amount of federal infrastructure money in play, mounting pressure to meet the state’s climate goals, and momentum for changing the way we pay for transit. So far, these issues haven’t taken a prevailing role in the race […]
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