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.
Sam Mintz
Recent Posts
Could the New Governor Breathe New Life Into the T’s Regional Rail Plans?
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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 The next Massachusetts governor promised during the campaign to move from a system named after and designed for outdated societal expectations about work to a true regional rail system, the kind that transit advocates in the state have been dreaming of […]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
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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.
Gov.-Elect Healy’s Plans to Clean Up Charlie Baker’s Messes
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The gubernatorial front-runner endorses low-income fares and “outlining a pathway to fare free buses throughout the Commonwealth.”
Last-Minute Legislation Legalizes (Some) E-Bikes, Axes Low-Income Fares, and Throws More Cash At EVs
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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.
Mass. Senate Revives Low-Income Fare Legislation
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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.
What Maura Healey’s Climate Plan Reveals About Her Transportation Priorities
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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.
Two Factions Square Off Over Housing Issues in Brookline Town Meeting Races
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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.
State House Update: The Latest on E-Bikes, Low-Income Fares, and Automated Enforcement Bills
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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.
Transit Advocate Chris Dempsey Wants to Be Our Next State Auditor
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“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.
How Transportation Issues Could Shape the Race to Replace Gov. Charlie Baker
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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 […]