Happy Earth Day! Here’s How to Take Action Today and Beyond

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day serves as a reminder of the fragility and interconnectedness of our planet and how much more we need to do to protect our common home.

A few years ago, Massachusetts set a commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. For us to meet that goal (or a more ambitious one), then we need bold and comprehensive action on climate from our state legislature. 

That means putting a pause on new gas infrastructure so that we aren’t building new pipelines and compressor stations that create a lock-in effect for fossil fuels and divert time, attention, and resources away from a plan for a just transition.

And that means reforming our energy siting process to expedite the siting of renewable energy and to ensure that we are centering equity and not reproducing historic environmental justices.

Can you write to your state legislators today about the importance of taking action on climate this session?

Tomorrow is an important deadline at the State House

Tomorrow is an important deadline at the State House: Joint Rule 10 Day.

According to this State House rule, every joint committee (i.e., committee of both the House and Senate) must take action on the bills before them by the first Wednesday in February.

That action can be to give the bill a favorable report (It advances!), to give the bill an adverse report (It’s done for the session), to send the bill to study (It’s effectively done for the session), or to give the bill an extension (It has more time).

The State House relies on deadlines to spur action, so expect to see a flurry of action on bills later this week.

That also means it’s a great time to contact the committees in support of critical bills.

Can you commit to sending at least one email by tomorrow? See below for some action tools.


 
Keep Up the Momentum for Criminal Justice Reform

If we want to continue to move past the failed model of mass incarceration – a model that costs outrageous sums, breaks apart communities, and does not increase public safety – then we need more policy action this year.

Urge the Judiciary Committee to advance key bills before a critical February 7 deadline.

  • Raise the Age (H.1710 and S.942: An Act to promote public safety and better outcomes for young adults): When young adults (18, 19, 20) are kept in the juvenile system, they are able to have better access to school and rehabilitative programming.
  • Prison Moratorium (H.1795: An Act establishing a jail and prison construction moratorium): Massachusetts does not need to build new prisons and jails. We need to be investing in programming, re-entry services, and community supports.
  • Clean Slate Bills (H.1598/S.979: An Act providing easier and greater access to sealing & H.1493/S.998: An Act to remove collateral consequences and protect the presumption of innocence): Too many people are trapped in poverty and deprived of jobs, housing and other chances for success because of their criminal and juvenile records. We need to allow for automatic record sealing in certain cases, rather than relying only on burdensome case-by-case petitions.

Can you write to the Judiciary Committee today in support of these key bills?

Let’s Set up all Students and Families for Success

Every student deserves the support and resources to thrive. That’s why we’ve been such strong supporters of the Common Start bills and the Thrive Act.

Common Start (H.489 and S.301): While Massachusetts is a nationwide leader on early education and child care and we’ve made important progress in recent years, the current system remains broken and access to quality early education and care remains out of reach for too many families. The Common Start framework would provide the specific structure that is needed to deliver affordable care options for families; significantly better pay and benefits for early educators; a new, stable source of funding for providers; high-quality programs and services for children; and substantial relief for businesses and our economy.

Thrive Act (H.495 / S.246): Massachusetts’ state takeover law and the state’s misuse of the MCAS as a graduation requirement are failing our students and disrupting their education. The Thrive Act would end the failed system of state takeovers of school districts, and replace it with a comprehensive support and improvement system that focuses on giving students and educators the tools and resources they need to succeed. The legislation would also support students by establishing a modified high school graduation requirement in which coursework would replace the MCAS test as the basis for showing student mastery of state standards. And, the legislation would create a commission to give our communities a voice in building a better assessment and accountability system.

Can you email the Joint Committee on Education in support of these bills?


It’s Time to Make Polluters Pay

Massachusetts communities are already experiencing the devastating and costly effects of climate change even without considering the HUGE cost of building the climate resilient infrastructure recommended by Climate Chief Hoffer in her 2023 report.

Unless action is taken, our communities will continue to bear the financial and emotional costs of climate change while the fossil fuel companies responsible for climate-related damages make record profits. These companies must bear the cost.

The Make Polluters Pay Bill (S.481/H.872) is a pathway to making that happen.

It would require top polluters to contribute to a superfund used to pay for climate-related damages in Massachusetts. It would create the Climate Change Adaptation Cost Recovery Program, generating $75 billion over the next 25 years for climate adaptation and resilience projects. These funds will then be dispensed through the Climate Change Adaptation Fund, with at least 40% of the funds going to projects directly benefiting environmental justice communities.

Can you write to the Joint Environment and Natural Resources Committee in support of these bills?

MA Needs to Lead on Democracy

In the late 1990s, after incarcerated individuals in MCI-Norfolk started political organizing, Republican Governor Paul Cellucci and the Massachusetts Legislature responded with retaliation and a multi-step process of disenfranchisement. Our commonwealth did something rare in recent history: it took away the right to vote from a category of people who were formerly enfranchised.

According to a new fact sheet from The Sentencing Project, over 7,700 otherwise eligible citizens in Massachusetts are disenfranchised due to a felony conviction. The report further underscores the racial disparities in the Massachusetts criminal legal system that leads to Black and Latinx residents being disproportionately denied their right to vote.

On April 26, 2023, the Joint Committee on Election Laws gave a favorable report to S.8/H.26, constitutional amendments filed by Sen. Liz Miranda and Adam Gomez and Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven that would ensure that incarceration never leads to a loss of voting rights.

Now, the Election Laws Committee must advance S.428/H.724 before the Feb. 7 deadline. This legislation would make relevant changes in state law, and is needed to accompany the constitutional amendments. Passing the constitutional amendments this year would be historic — we need to make sure these bills that change the law for local elections are moving at the same pace.

Can you write to the Joint Election Laws Committee in support of these bills?

Op-Ed: MA Takes Steps to Put Gas in the Past

Jonathan Cohn, “MA Takes Steps to Put Gas in the Past,” Fenway News, February 1, 2024.

“Although the docket raised the bar for when the DPU would approve new gas pipelines, it did not call for a ban on expanding gas infrastructure, a vital step to avoid the lock-in effect of unsustainable fossil fuels. Before the Legislature are a set of bills (S.2135 / H.3237) to put a two-year moratorium on gas infrastructure expansion to give the state time to develop a clear and equitable plan for transitioning to renewable energy. We still need that (and for more than just two years), and the Governor can also do that herself by executive action. You should let her know that you think she should.”

February 4, 2024: Make Polluters Pay Holiday Party

Join the movement for Polluter Accountability!

Join the Make Polluters Pay Campaign on Sunday, February 4 from 1-3 PM for an afternoon of strategizing and socializing in the Democracy Center (45 Mount Auburn St, Cambridge). We’ll go over our accomplishments from 2023 and plan out our campaign strategy for 2024 over tea and cookies.

The Polluters Pay bill would levy a one-time fee on major polluters to provide for critical climate resilience upgrades across the commonwealth, especially in environmental justice communities.

Wanted: Bold Action on the Climate Crisis

Join us and Mass Power Forward in calling on our legislators to wake up and do more for environmental and climate justice!

Every day, we see new evidence of the dire state of the climate crisis: whether it’s record heat waves, storms, droughts, wild fires.

Your legislators need to hear from YOU that climate justice can’t wait.

RSVP for Mass Power Forward’s decentralized lobby day on Dec 5.

Rather than asking you to travel to the State House for a meeting, this lobby day is focused on in-district meetings with your legislator — at a coffee shop, a library, a community center, or maybe just on Zoom.

The in-district meetings will be focusing on Mass Power Forward’s priority bills.

Putting a moratorium on new gas infrastructure
Making big polluters pay for the costs of climate adaptation
Scaling up our investment in green retrofits
Improving indoor air quality
Advancing environmental justice through siting reform and through strengthening civil rights

Want better prep before the lobby day? You can attend a training on Nov 29.

Sign up here to participate!

Why We Need a Zero-Carbon Renovation Fund

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Chair Roy: and Members of the House Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy:  

My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the Policy Director of Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide grassroots advocacy group committed to fighting for an equitable, just, democratic, and sustainable Commonwealth.

We urge you to give a favorable report to An Act establishing a zero carbon renovation fund (H.3232), filed by Rep. Andy Vargas.

I think it is fitting that today’s hearing is held on Halloween because the present and future of climate change contains a litany of frights. This past summer, when this hearing had been originally scheduled, provided an ongoing series of warning signs of the need to take bold and comprehensive action on climate change. We experienced several of the hottest days on record globally. We saw extreme flooding hit neighboring states, and the same for the dystopian impacts of raging wildfires in Canada.

Fortunately, we know what we need to do to mitigate climate change. According to the recent Massachusetts Clean Heat Commission Final Report, achieving our state’s climate goals will require retrofitting an additional 500,000 residential homes and roughly 300 million square feet of commercial buildings to utilize energy-efficient electric heating by 2030, with a pace of 20,000-25,000 home installations a year ahead of 2025, ramping up to 80,000 a year in the latter half of the decade, and over 100,000 residential homes per year thereafter. If we want to meet our goals, we need to start accelerating and scaling our actions.

This bill would allocate $300 million for a Zero Carbon Renovation Fund (ZCRF), administered by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, to jumpstart the market for zero carbon renovations. Such renovations would include (1) maximizing energy efficiency through building envelope upgrades, (2) electrification of building systems, (3) maximizing usage of on-site renewable energy, wherever possible, and (4) use of building retrofit materials that are low embodied carbon.

Importantly, this bill understands that our sustainability transition must be an equitable one, and that some of the oldest housing stock is that where low-income communities and communities of color live. Accordingly, the ZCRF would prioritize affordable housing, public housing, low- and moderate-income homes, schools, BIPOC- and women-owned businesses, and buildings located in Environmental Justice communities.

We’ve seen positive steps from Gov. Healey about investing in green retrofits, but we must scale up that work.

The Legislature has made an ongoing commitment to passing climate legislation. Last session, you took important steps to expand the wind energy industry and to decarbonize transportation, among other steps. Decarbonizing buildings must be at the center of new climate legislation, as buildings make up a large share of our carbon emissions.

To go back to Halloween, perhaps the only thing more frightening than the scenarios of a much warmer world is the knowledge that we have the ability to act today and might not.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Cohn

Policy Director

Progressive Massachusetts

Progressive Watertown Hosts Polluters Pay Forum

Prog-Watertown-Polluters-Pay1

By Eileen Ryan, Progressive Watertown

On Sunday, October 22, Progressive Watertown and Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment co-hosted an educational forum at the Watertown Public Library about the current Massachusetts Make Polluters Pay bill. The panel discussion was moderated by Watertown resident Connie Henry and included Laurel Schwab, Watertown Senior Environmental Planner, Dan Zackin, 350MA Legislative Coordinator, and Steve Owens, State Representative for the 29th Middlesex District. 

“Make Polluters Pay” is the informal name for An Act Establishing a Climate Change Superfund Promoting Polluter Responsibility, Bill H. 872/S.481. Similar bills are currently in front of the legislatures of Vermont, Maryland, and New York. Make Polluters Pay will provide Massachusetts communities with funds from the largest emitters of greenhouse gases to address the effects of the climate crisis. The funds will be used for resiliency and adaptation projects such as geo-thermal grids, flood mitigation, and the reduction of heat islands. 

Laurel Schwab spoke about the possible use of the funds in Watertown and other Massachusetts cities and towns.

Dan Zackin spoke about broadening the coalition of groups supporting Make Polluters Pay, to include labor unions and environmental justice communities as well as environmental groups. SEIU is already a supporter. 350MA is one of several organizations actively working to educate the public and legislators about the importance of Make Polluters Pay. 

State Rep. Steve Owens who is a co-sponsor of the bill with Senator Jamie Eldridge, spoke about why this bill is important and how it differs from a lawsuit. 

There was a small but well-informed audience that asked thoughtful questions and included three current Watertown City Councilors, one previous counselor, and a candidate for school committee.

Want to find out if your legislators are already supporters? Check out our Scorecard page here.

The HERO Bill Can Help Us Tackle Both the Housing Crisis and the Climate Crisis

Testimony in support of H.2894 & S.1799 An Act providing for climate change adaptation infrastructure and affordable housing investments in the Commonwealth from Caroline Bays of Progressive Watertown

Chair Moran, Chair Cusack, and Members of the Joint Committee on Revenue:

Thank you for hearing my testimony.

My name is Caroline Bays and I have been a city councilor in Watertown for 6 years. Over the last few years several things have become clear – we have several existential issues facing us and we cannot address them without your help. 

Watertown, like most of eastern Massachusetts, is experiencing a housing crisis that is not going away. It is only getting worse. In just the six years I have been a councilor I have witnessed the city transform from a mixed class city with a wide variety of residents to a relatively rich extension of Cambridge. Our housing crisis extends to both the big A and little a affordable and we are going to have to come up with more innovative ways – and more money – to address the increasingly drastic issues of displacement we are experiencing.

But we have two existential crises facing us. Our city is very concerned about climate change and Watertown has passed a very aggressive climate action plan in our attempt to do our part to address the climate crisis, but in order to get to where we need to be by 2050 we will need money to implement our plan. We have hundreds of action items on our to-do list, and it ranges from comparatively small financial commitments, such as adding more street trees and EV chargers to incredibly expensive commitments such as retrofitting all of our municipal buildings to make them greener and creating a green municipal fleet. We need money for all of it. And it will mean multi-millions of dollars in investment. 

The HERO Bill is one low impact mechanism to help generate the money we need to meet our commitments. It is a comparatively small fee but it will generate money that can have a large impact on cities and towns, by helping us to meet our housing and climate goals. 

I will be delighted if you pass the enabling act for the transfer fee and I support that bill wholeheartedly, but that will not be enough. We are facing the humanitarian crisis of homelessness and the existential crisis of climate change. Now is the time for action and all of us in Watertown are doing our best to meet these crises, but we need your help. On behalf of my city and others across the Commonwealth, I am asking for your support. I urge you to report H.2894 & S.1799 out favorably so the state can raise the funds which will help our towns and cities do our part to implement the solutions we all know we need.

Thank you for hearing my testimony.