Charlie Harak

Jan 3, 2024 | nclc.org | Charlie Harak

December 31, 2023 — Featured News In an op-ed appearing in CommonWealth Beacon on Dec. 31, 2023, Charlie Harak, senior attorney at NCLC, discusses critical funding needed to address the climate crisis in Massachusetts. “The passage of the GCA, GWSA, and the Next-Generation Roadmap underscores the state’s strong and unwavering commitment to be a leader among the 50 states in addressing climate change.

Dec 30, 2023 | commonwealthbeacon.org | Charlie Harak

THE CLIMATE CRISIS has arrived, and Massachusetts must take new and bold steps to address it, including critical funding support. July floods in Western Massachusetts damaged over 1,000 acres of farmland and caused more than $15 million in damage to growing crops. Leominster suffered catastrophic flooding in September from unprecedented rainfall. A “punishing rainstorm” in August caused major damage in the Merrimack Valley.

Aug 8, 2023 | nclc.org | Charlie Harak |Peter Kahn

By: Charlie Harak, Dr. Peter Kahn, NCLC's Senior Medical Advisor for Public Health and Policy August 8, 2023 — Featured News In an editorial appearing in The Messenger on August 8, 2023, Dr. Peter Kahn and Charlie Harak discuss utility shut-off protections for medically vulnerable customers and older adults, for whom access to electricity can be a matter of a life and death.

Aug 8, 2023 | themessenger.com | Peter Kahn |Charlie Harak

One of us has a patient, let’s call her “Mary,” who is an older adult living alone with a serious illness that limits her ability to manage her daily affairs. During one particularly harsh winter, Mary lost access to heat and hot water in her home because she couldn't afford to pay her utility bills. After a few days in the severe cold, she was found unconscious on her apartment floor. With advanced therapies, Mary recovered and is now back home.