Massachusetts Legislature Passes Landmark Climate Legislation
(BOSTON - 03/18/2021) The Massachusetts House of Representatives and state Senate on Thursday passed nation-leading climate legislation, known as the Next Generation Climate Roadmap bill, which overhauls the state’s climate laws, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, advances the clean energy industry, and prioritizes and protects environmental justice communities.
“The climate crisis demands urgent action and with the passage of this sweeping and ambitious legislation, the Massachusetts legislature has risen to the challenge," said Senator Jason Lewis (D- Winchester). "This bill will make the Commonwealth a national and even global leader in reducing carbon emissions; accelerating our transition to clean energy, including solar and offshore wind; improving public health; creating tens of thousands of new well-paid green jobs; and advancing environmental justice for the most significantly impacted communities.”
“I’m proud to stand with my colleagues as we again send this incredibly important piece of climate justice legislation to Governor Baker’s desk,” said Representative Steven Ultrino (D - Malden). “This bill prioritizes resources for communities like Malden, where the impacts of climate change will be felt most, while also setting ambitious emission reduction goals and making important investments to grow our green economy. I’m grateful to Speaker Mariano, Senate President Spilka, and Chairs Golden, Roy and Barrett for their unwavering leadership on this bill, which will improve the lives of all residents of the Commonwealth for decades to come.”
“I am proud to join my colleagues in supporting this historic, and very important legislation,” said Representative Paul J Donato (D-Medford). “Massachusetts is and always will be a leader in climate safeguards, and the passage of this bill further exemplifies this. I thank Speaker Mariano and President Spilka for their hard work and collaboration to get this landmark legislation passed early on in the session.”
“Over eight months, I’ve voted on this legislation four times, each vote a resounding ‘yes’,” said Representative Lipper-Garabedian (D-Melrose). “In that same time frame, evidence like the largest wildfire in California history and the extreme winter storms in Texas underscore the imperative that we take action now. I'm incredibly proud to support bold climate legislation that meets the moment and is our
first major update to the 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act. Addressing our climate crisis is a top priority for the 32nd Middlesex and the entire Commonwealth. The legislation includes critical emissions benchmarks, environmental justice protections, workforce development programs in clean energy, updated appliance efficiency standards, enhanced measures for gas safety, and an opt-in municipal net zero stretch code – all components of a comprehensive approach in the face of an existential crisis.”
“The Senate and House reaffirm today that this landmark climate legislation is too important to delay,” stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “These measures will put our Commonwealth on a path to lowering harmful carbon emissions, add fuel to our growing green economy and improve the lives of those living in underserved communities. Now is the time to be proactive in how we approach our climate crisis and to protect our environment for future generations. I want to thank my legislative partner, House Speaker Mariano for his collaboration, Senator Barrett and Representatives Golden and Roy for their steadfast support, and the residents of Massachusetts for their unwavering support in advancing this legislation.”
“I am proud the House and the Senate have not backed down from our ambitious goals and unwavering commitment to make Massachusetts a leader in climate protection and clean energy,” said Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano (D-Quincy). “There is no doubt this legislation will set Massachusetts on the right path and benefit generations to come. I thank Chairman Roy and Leader Golden for their work over the course of two sessions, and Senate President Spilka for her collaboration in getting this bill once again back to the Governor’s desk.”
“This bill is about getting down to brass tacks. It's about getting the job done, one step at a time, starting now,” said Senator Mike Barrett (D-Lexington), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. “The pace of climate change is picking up—so the pace of climate policy must pick up. The Next Generation Climate Roadmap bill reflects the concerns of people of every age, from every part of the state. The grassroots climate movement of Massachusetts is a force to be reckoned with.”
"This historic legislation will set Massachusetts on a path towards reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 by establishing robust interim limits and providing key sectors of our economy with clear guidelines and goal posts for their decarbonization," said Representative Jeffrey N. Roy (D- Franklin), Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. "Each roadmap plan will tackle reducing emissions in a holistic manner, while also ensuring that environmental justice communities are included, and workers are not left behind by our transition to clean energy. I'm honored to have worked on getting this crucial climate bill to the finish line and thank Speaker Mariano and Leader Golden for their invaluable work and leadership on this bill."
“History has been made today with the passage of the Next-Generation Roadmap bill,” said State Representative Thomas A. Golden, Jr. (D-Lowell), former Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. “The Roadmap sets us on a strong course to net zero by 2050 and significantly advances offshore wind, truly representing the best ideas from both chambers. Hats off to the House and the Senate for holding firm on ambitious emissions targets. A special thank- you to Speaker Mariano for his tireless perseverance and vision in seeing this day become a reality.”
“This bill offers us a comprehensive roadmap to move us away from fossil fuels and towards ensuring environmental justice,” said Senate Majority Leader Cindy Creem (D-Newton). “The provisions of this bill represent a great step forward in our efforts to reduce harmful carbon emissions and it needs to become law now.”
The passage of the climate bill comes after a joint commitment from Senate President Karen E. Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano to quickly refile the legislation following a gubernatorial veto last session. This session Governor Baker offered amendments to the bill, which have been considered by the Legislature. Today, the House and Senate rejected efforts to slow the rate of progress toward net-zero emissions by 2050, while accepting a number of more technical amendments that improve the bill.
The final legislation:
Sets a statewide net-zero limit on greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and mandates emissions limits every five years, as well as sublimits for transportation, buildings, and other sectors
of the economy.Codifies environmental justice provisions into Massachusetts law, defining environmental justice populations and providing new tools and protections for affected neighborhoods.
Establishes a municipal opt-in specialized stretch energy code which includes a definition of “net-zero building” and net-zero building performance standards.
Requires an additional 2,400 megawatts of offshore wind, increasing the total authorization to 5,600 megawatts in the Commonwealth.
Directs the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), the regulator of the state's electric and natural gas utilities, to balance priorities going forward: system safety, system security, reliability, affordability, equity, and, significantly, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Sets appliance energy efficiency standards for a variety of common appliances including plumbing, faucets, computers, and commercial appliances.
Adopts several measures aimed at improving gas pipeline safety, including increased fines for safety violations, provisions related to training and certifying utility contractors, and setting interim targets for companies to reduce leak rates.
Requires utilities to include an explicit value for greenhouse gas reductions when they calculate the cost-effectiveness of an offering of MassSave.
Increases the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by 3 per cent each year from 2025–2029, resulting in 40 per cent renewable energy by 2030.
A national first, this legislation factors the "carbon sequestration" capacity of Massachusetts' natural and working lands directly into our emissions reduction plans.
Prioritizes equitable access to the state’s solar programs by low-income communities.
Sets benchmarks for the adoption of clean energy technologies including electric vehicles,
charging stations, solar technology, energy storage, heat pumps and anaerobic digestors.
Establishes $12 million in annual funding for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to create a pathway to the clean energy industry for environmental justice populations, minority-owned and women-owned businesses, and fossil fuel workers.
Provides solar incentives for businesses by exempting them from the net metering cap to allow them to install solar systems on their premises to help them offset their electricity use and save money.
Creates a first-time greenhouse gas emissions standard for municipal lighting plants that requires them to purchase 50 percent non-emitting electricity by 2030, 75 percent by 2040 and “net zero” by 2050.
The bill now returns to the Governor’s desk.
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