Last Sunday, the last day of the formal Legislative Session, the MA Legislature sent a lightly amended climate bill back to Governor Charlie Baker, accepting a few of his amendments but rejecting others. (See the changes here.)
The next step is simple: Charlie Baker needs to sign it.
If he signs it or even if he takes no action, it becomes law. If he vetoes it, it is dead until next year unless the Legislature comes back into session.
Call Baker’s office at 617-725-4005 and urge him to sign the climate bill.
Here’s a sample script you can use:
“I urge you to quickly sign H5050: An Act driving clean energy and offshore wind into law. This bill will support much needed progress to reduce our state emissions 50% by 2030 as required by law. It will expand clean energy, transportation electrification, and building decarbonization measures while creating jobs and helping reach statewide emissions reduction targets.”
Tell the Legislature: Finish Your Job! A few weeks ago, the Legislature was on track to end the Legislative Session with important victories of passing a five-year prison moratorium and No Cost Calls legislation. The five-year prison moratorium, passed in a bond bill, would have put a pause on new prison construction in order to allow time for communities to focus on building alternatives. Prisons and jails cannot guarantee public safety; only investing in community well-being and stability can. Even more, no one builds new prison capacity without a desire to use it: every new prison built is a commitment to lock up individuals for decades into the future. Moreover, right now, families are charged exorbitant fees to maintain vital connections with incarcerated loved ones (sometimes $5 or $6 for a 15-minute call). This is a regressive tax on the most vulnerable populations of the Commonwealth that also harms public safety by limiting communication and weakening community bonds. The No Cost Calls legislation, passed via the budget, would have ended this predatory practice and provided such calls for free. But both victories are now at risk due to Charlie Baker’s malice and the Legislature’s delays.
Yesterday, Charlie Baker shamefully vetoed the prison moratorium language. With the Legislature not in session, they are unable to override him.
Last week, Baker also tried to hold the No Cost Calls language hostage to his effort to expand pre-trial detention and take away due process rights. While the House rightly rejected Baker’s push, the Senate insisted on passing a still harmful, narrower version of Baker’s bill, dooming No Cost Calls for the session. (Read our write-up of what went down — and how your legislators voted — here.)
We are joining our allies at Families for Justice as Healing and the #KeepFamiliesConnected coalition to demand a special session in September to 1) override Baker’s veto of the Prison Moratorium and 2) pass No Cost Calls with no amendments.
Script: “Hello my name is _________________ and I’m your constituent. The legislature left too much business unfinished this session. I am asking you to call for a special session in September and stay in session until you 1) override Governor Baker’s veto of the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium and 2) pass no cost calls with no amendments that will expand criminalization or pretrial incarceration. We already know incarceration has failed to create safety and well-being. There is an active contract to study and design the new women’s prison- so we can’t wait for next session. Please do everything in your power to ensure the Prison Moratorium and No Cost Calls are passed into law.”
*Express disappointment and frustration that they would ignore the demands of organizations led by survivors and formerly incarcerated women who opposed the amendment and vote for expanding criminalization and pre-trial detention which will disproportionately impact people of color. The Senators who voted “yea” knew their vote would derail No Cost Calls.
*Thank your Senator for supporting No Cost Calls and opposing the regressive, reactionary amendment that will only increase racial disparities.
The legislative session in the MA State House ends this Sunday. That’s right: whatever doesn’t happen between now and Sunday will have to wait until next year.
But we know that so many things can’t wait.
Email Your State Legislators: MA Needs the HOMES Act
Last week, the Senate passed the HOMES Actas part of its economic development bill.
The moment that an eviction case is filed, a tenant has an eviction record for life. These eviction records are unfairly held against people when they try to rent a new place. Tenants should be able to seal their eviction record when they have done nothing wrong, when they pay what they owe, or when their case is dismissed or resolved.
The HOMES Act language will protect many tenants from being unfairly marked with an eviction record and would establish a fair process for tenants to petition the court on a case-by-case basis.
The Senate and House are right now working on reconciling the differences between the House and Senate bills.
The House did not include this essential tenant protection in their bill, and it’s vital that the HOMES Act remains in the final package.
Last Thursday, the House and Senate passed climate legislation that, among other things, invests in off-shore wind and solar energy, accelerates the transition to electric vehicles, and ends renewable energy credits for wood-burning power plants (read our write-up here).
Please get this important legislation over the finish line! Urge Governor Baker to sign the bill ASAP with no changes.
Call Governor Baker at 617-725-4005 or (toll-free) 888-870-7770
Sample message:
“Hi, my name is ________ and I live in _____________. I urge the Governor to sign the climate bill into law as soon as possible, with no changes. I support ending clean energy subsidies for woody biomass. It’s crazy to burn wood for electricity.”
The following summary was written in conjunction with Jess Nahigian and Veena Dharmaraj from the Massachusetts Sierra Club and adapted from the overview done by the Mass Power Forward coalition (done by Jess — s/o again) and materials produced by the Legislature.
Last Thursday, the MA House and Senate finally came to an agreement on climate legislation this year: An Act driving clean energy and offshore wind (H.5060).
The bill was the conclusion of negotiations between the House and Senate merging two bills passed earlier this year that varied significantly in scope. In early March, the House passed a bill focused on offshore wind. In April, the MA Senate passed a more comprehensive bill focused on clean energy, buildings, and transportation electrification (See a write-up here).
The bill passed the House 146 to 7, with the only NO votes coming from Republicans Donnie Berthiaume, Nicholas Boldyga, Angelo D’Emilia, Marc Lombardo, Norman Orrall, Kelly Pease, and Alyson Sullivan. It passed the Senate 38 to 2, with Senators Ryan Fattman and Patrick O’Connor voting no.
The bill includes many strong provisions, as detailed below, and some notable omissions. Disappointingly, the bill omitted several large financial investments as well as language about air quality monitoring. Additionally, the transportation policy and building emissions reduction policy were limited in scope. The transportation section of the bill remains limited to electrification, rather than exploring ways to expand public transit usage (as well as biking/walking) and reducing the number of automobiles on the road in the first place (a limitation more of the reach of the original Senate bill than of the negotiations). The buildings emissions portion of the bill falls short of creating the investment and infrastructure to decarbonize buildings at the 100,000 building per year scale identified as necessary in the state’s pathway to decarbonization by 2050.
Now the bill must go to the governor’s desk, where he has until July 31 to pass it, send it back with revisions, or veto it.
Offshore Wind
Establishes a Massachusetts Offshore Wind Industry Investment Program, administered by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), consisting of annual tax incentives, grants, loans, and other investments
Creates the Massachusetts Offshore Wind Industry Investment Trust Fund to promote the manufacture of domestic supply chain components of the offshore wind industry; stimulate increased financing for permanent manufacturing facilities; advance clean energy research, technology, and innovation; and prepare individuals for offshore wind careers by supporting workforce training
Removes the price cap for new offshore wind projects, which requires each new project to offer power at a lower price than its predecessor, if there are fewer than three bidders.
Gives preference to offshore wind bids from companies that invest in local manufacturing, provide employment opportunities for underrepresented populations, adopt good labor practices, and mitigate environmental impacts, and takes utilities out of the bid selection process.
Establishes a commercial fisheries commission to provide input on best practices for avoiding, minimizing, and mitigating impacts to wildlife related to offshore wind
Solar Energy
Allows agricultural and horticultural land to be used to site solar panels and establishes a commission to study the deployment of these “dual use sites” while minimizing ecosystem and agricultural impact
Removes net metering constraints on solar up to 25kw and removes smaller solar arrays from the net metering cap
Other Renewable Energy Measures
Prevents wood-burning biomass power plants from qualifying for renewable energy incentives in the Renewable Portfolio Standard Program but, lamentably, does not exclude it from other incentive programs
Directs a study of the advantages and disadvantages of a regional or multi-state clean energy market
Enhances regional collaboration by allowing the Commonwealth to coordinate with nearby states on clean energy solicitation and transmission
Shifting Utilities Away from Fossil Fuels
Requires utility companies to proactively and regularly submit plans to upgrade the transmission and distribution grid, as overseen by a new grid modernization advisory council (the council lacks the public input requirements in the Senate plan).to improve reliability and resilience and accommodate the shift to renewables
Reduces incentives for fossil fuels by limiting ratepayer-funded efficiency programs from incentivizing fossil fuel equipment starting in 2025
Establishes a grid modernization advisory council (but without the public input requirements in the Senate bill) and requires distribution companies to submit regular modernization plans
Creates a working group to develop recommendations for regulatory and legislative changes necessary to align our pipeline replacement program (GSEP) with the state’s climate goals
Requires additional scrutiny of the utility-controlled investigation into the “future of gas”
Paves the way for expanded use of renewable thermal energy, including geothermal networks
Workforce
Ensures clean energy workforce development programs include workers in impacted and disadvantaged communities
Expands and develops workforce development programs in clean energy, particularly wind
Buildings
Requires an assessment of K-12 schools with an eye toward improving efficiency, air quality
Allows 10 municipalities to pilot fossil-free new and major renovations, but with newly added specifications that exclude life science labs and health care facilities, and requires any participating community to (a) meet the 10% affordable housing target set by state law (chapter 40B) or (b) have approved a zoning ordinance permitting multi-family housing by-right in at least one area
Requires that large buildings (20,000 sq. ft. and larger, more expansive than the Senate’s original 25,000 sq. ft. and larger) report their energy usage annually, and allows only Boston and Cambridge to set their own building energy reporting requirements (as opposed to allowing any city/town to do so, as in the Senate bill)
Increases public accountability and reporting requirements to ensure utilities are providing efficiency services to low-income ratepayers and households
Transportation
Provides up to $5000 in point-of-sale rebates for the purchase of electric passenger cars and light duty vehicles less than $55,000, with an additional $1500 rebate for low-income individuals. Rebates of at least $4500 for medium and heavy duty electric vehicles and for those trading in their internal combustion engine vehicle
Calls for the MBTA bus fleet to be all-electric by 2040 (with no more fossil-fuel buses purchased after 2030)and prioritizes deployment on routes that go through underserved communities (Note that environmental groups advocated for full electrification by 2030, and that the Senate bill had “no new non-electric purchases” after 2028)
Mandates all new cars sold in the state to be zero-emission starting 2035
Creates aninteragency coordinating Council to develop and implementa plan for deploying EV charging infrastructure in an equitable and accessible manner and establishes a Charging Infrastructure Deployment Fund
Mandates off-peak rates for EV charging and requires distribution companies to submit proposals for time-of-use rates
Requires the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to develop vehicle electrification and GHG emission regulations for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft)
Requires MasDOT to provide technical and funding assistance to help Regional Transit Authorities electrify their fleets
Requires MassDOT to install EV charging stations at all service plazas on the MA Turnpike, at least five commuter rail and subway stations, and at least one ferry terminal.
Requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to conduct a study on electrifying our school bus fleet
A Few Notable Omissions
Unlike the Senate bill, the final bill did not contain the following:
Banning competitive electricity suppliers, who often prey on the most vulnerable, from operating in Massachusetts
Increasing publicly available air quality monitoring and directing the state to establish baseline air quality in air pollution hotspots and corridors
Teeing up a successor to the state’s SMART solar program that favors development in the built environment
Interim and full electrification targets for the commuter rail system
Allocating $100 million to the Electric Vehicle Adoption Incentive Trust Fund; $50 million to the Charging Infrastructure Deployment Fund; and $100 million toward Clean Energy Investment Fund from the Senate bill (Funding for these programs is in the Economic development bill under consideration by the legislature)
Authorizing all public pensions, with the exception of the state employees retirement system, the state teachers retirement system, and the State Boston retirement system, to divest from any investment in fossil fuel companies
And a Few Red Flags…
Expands the definition of clean energy for Massachusetts Clean Energy Center research purposes to include “renewable biofuels, renewable biodegradable chemicals, advanced thermal-to-energy conversion, fusion energy, hydrogen produced by non-fossil fuel sources and methods, and carbon capture and sequestration”
Allows existing (grandfathered) anaerobic digestors to qualify for clean peak standard
Includes biofuels, “green” hydrogen, landfill gas, “low-emission advanced biomass power conversion technologies” are called “innovations” in the list of technologies eligible for educational grants
Did you know that the current legislative session at the MA State House ends in just two weeks?
That’s right: any bills that don’t pass between now and July 31st are done until next year (at the earliest).
That means that there will be a flurry of activity in the coming weeks, and we want to keep you in the loop.
Stop the MA Legislature from Giving Massive Tax Breaks to the Wealthiest Estates
The Massachusetts tax system hits the wallets of lower-income people harder than high earners, with the bottom 20% of earners paying a higher percentage of their income in state and local taxes than the top 1%. An exception is the Commonwealth’s relatively robust estate tax. The estate tax is one of the main policies we have focused on reducing the gaping racial wealth gap in Massachusetts.
Nonetheless, the Massachusetts House voted last week to roll back the estate tax, to the cost of $207 million. This lost revenue means money isn’t available for important investments or for tax relief for the struggling residents of the Commonwealth.
Even worse, the estate tax rollback was designed in a way that disproportionately benefits the largest estates, namely those over $3 million. This would be the biggest increase in the racial wealth gap in decades.
If legislators want to help comparatively smaller estates, they should design their design their policies to do so, not advance a costly giveaway to the wealthiest estates.
A climate bill is in the works, but it hasn’t reached the Governor’s desk yet. Together, the provisions laid forth in the House and Senate proposed bills put Massachusetts in a good position to implement strategies to reduce our emissions 50% by 2030 – as required by law – and create healthier communities.
But these strategies cannot wait two years more to be passed into law! Let’s ensure that lawmakers finalize a climate bill that moves us toward our shared climate and justice goals.
The conference committee and House and Senate leaders must send a bill to the Governor’s deskby Thursday, July 21 to avoid the chance of a pocket veto by Governor Baker.
Your legislators need to hear from you: no climate bill is not an option! Advocates are circulating a public sign-on letter for legislators to show their support for moving this forward swiftly. Your legislators need to hear from you that it’s important they demonstrate support!!
Take action!
Check if your legislators have signed onto the letter
If not, send your legislators a message asking them to sign on – either by emailing them or calling them.
Email
Dear _________
I am alarmed to hear that, in the final days of the legislative session, a comprehensive climate bill is still not on the governor’s desk. We have very little time before the end of the session.
[why passing a climate and justice bill is important to you]
We must get a climate bill to the governor’s desk by Thursday. Please join me in voicing your support for swift passage by signing on to this public “Dear Colleague” letter.
Thank you,
Call
I’m calling to voice concern that the legislature has still not passed a climate bill this session. Climate advocates are circulating a public sign-on letter for legislators in support of quickly moving a bill. Has the Representative/Senator seen the letter? You can view the form and the letter at bit.ly/maclimate22. Will the Representative/Senator sign on?
If yes: Wonderful, thank you. They can use the sign-on form found in the letter
If not sure/need to get back to you: Please let me know what the legislator says.
Thank you to all of you who joined us earlier this evening, and to those who couldn’t join: we missed you! And thank you to all four of our wonderful presenters: Crystel Murrieta-Ruiz, Cabell Eames, Sana Fadel, and Vanessa Snow!
You can watch the video from tonight’s event here: https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveMass/videos/526092582299567. If you are interested in making calls to voters in key districts for any of the bills, please let me know! (Phone-banking the friendly folks on our list is fun!) And if you want to be notified if we organize a phone bank around one of them, let me know as well.
Work & Family Mobility Act
The Senate will be voting tomorrow (or if you read this in the morning, “today”). You can join the virtual watch party at 11AM, which is when the Senate will begin session. Register using the following link: https://bit.ly/dff-senate-watch-party.
Don’t forget to email and call your Senators ahead of Thursday to ensure they are committed to voting “YES” in favor of driver’s licenses.
Cabell spoke about hearings this week on the Future of Gas Report (https://thefutureofgas.com/sep), which was written by consultants hired by the public gas utility companies in Massachusetts (Eversource, National Grid, Berkshire, Liberty and Unitil), in response to a request from the Attorney General for the DPU to do a study on how gas companies can meet Massachusetts’ mandatory emissions reductions. Instead of doing that investigation themselves, the DPU handed it over to the gas companies. The DPU is now reviewing the consultants’ report and the companies’ plans and trying to assess the claims and assumptions made. You can find instructions on how to submit testimony (due by 5 pm on Friday) here.
One of the priority bills for the Mass Renews Alliance that Cabell mentioned is the Building Justice with Jobs bill (S.2226 / H.3365), which would adopt housing regulations mandating minimum energy efficiency, energy performance, or related energy standards and put thousands of MA residents to work retrofitting 100,000 homes each year to improve energy efficiency and health outcomes, and reduce utility bills and carbon emissions. We have a fact sheet with sample scripts and talking points here: https://www.progressivemass.com/issues/building-justice-jobs-2021-action.
Cabell also mentioned the Mass Power Forward press conference and lobby day next Thursday from 11 am to 1 pm at the State House. You can RSVP for that (and learn more) here.
Raise the Age
Sana had excellent slides about the Raise the Age bill ( H.1826 / S.920), which would improve public safety and reduce youth entanglement with the criminal legal system by allowing 18, 19, and 20-year-olds to not be automatically tried as adults. The coalition has an excellent website, with a sample script for contacting your legislators: https://www.raisetheagema.org/.
The Election Modernization Coalition will be holding an informal in-person lobby day next Wednesday 5/11 @11am in the State House. More details to come, but RSVP to gfoster@commoncause.org if you can attend.
The four Democrats on the six-person Conference Committee are Senators Barry Finegold (Andover, Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury) and Cindy Creem (Brookline, Newton, Wellesley) and Representatives Mike Moran (Allston-Brighton, and a tiny bit of Brookline) and Dan Ryan (Charlestown, Chelsea). If you know people in their districts, urge them to contact their legislators! The Senators both support EDR and need backing; the two reps do not support it and need pressure. Please also write to your own legislators urging them to contact the Conference Committee in support of Election Day Registration.
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
Can you believe that it’s May already? That means warmer weather, blooming flowers, and both upcoming deadlines at the Legislature and opportunities to take action.
The first hour will consist of info sessions on legislation. The second hour will consist of breakout groups for taking action in this critical part of the session.
Featured Speakers:
Chrystel Murrieta, Political Coordinator, SEIU 32BJ
Cabell Eames, Political Director, 350 Mass / Better Future Project
Sana Fadel, Deputy Director, Citizens for Juvenile Justice
Vanessa Snow, Director of Organizing & Policy, MassVOTE
This Thursday: The MA Senate Votes on the Work & Family Mobility Act
Our event on Wednesday is timely because the next day, the MA Senate will be voting on the Work & Family Mobility Act.
Allowing Bay Staters to apply for driver’s licenses, regardless of immigration status, is common sense public policy that improves public safety for all Massachusetts families.
Saturday, May 7: Free Our Mothers Car Rally in Framingham
This Sunday is Mother’s Day, but not everyone will have the opportunity to spend quality time with their mother due to a carceral system that rips families apart.
Join Families for Justice as Healing and The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls for their annual car rally in Framingham this Saturday (May 7) 1 pm to 3 pm. Come let the community know—No New Women’s Prison, No Old Women’s Prison, No More Women’s Prison.
To get more details, RSVP here.
Take Action to Address the Housing Affordability Crisis!
Massachusetts has an affordability crisis, and cities and towns lack the tools to adequately respond.
That’s why we’ve been working in coalition with groups across the state to pass Real Estate Transfer Fee Enabling Legislation (H.1377 andS.868: An Act empowering cities and towns to impose a fee on certain real estate transactions to support affordable housing). These bills would enable cities and towns to impose a modest fee on high-end real estate transactions to create a funding source for affordable housing.
The bill faces an important deadline of May 9th (one week from today) in the Joint Committee on Housing. If no action is taken by this date, the session will be over for this bill.
Can you email House & Senate Leadership in support of this key bill?
Last week, the MA State Senate passed a new climate bill that accelerates our clean energy transition (read about it here), but there’s much more that we need to do, from investing in our public transportation systems to investing in equitable tree canopy and much, much more.
Fair Share Amendment Canvass Kickoffs!
Join the Fair Share Amendment Campaign to kick off the effort’s first regional canvasses of 2022!
We’ll be joining allies from across the Commonwealth in Raise Up Mass to hit the doors and talk to voters about how the Fair Share Amendment could transform our communities—from well-resourced and affordable public education to safe roads and bridges and reliable public transportation. A successful response to climate change depends on robust, ongoing investments in public transit, and the Fair Share Amendment will provide the sustainable revenue to make that a reality.
The Fair Share Amendment is a proposal to add a small tax on annual individual incomes exceeding $1 million. While the amendment is expected to impact fewer than 1% of taxpayers, it is projected to raise nearly $2 billion each year for investments in public education and infrastructure improvements. The Fair Share Amendment is on the ballot statewide on November 8, 2022.
A Livable Commonwealth: Trees as a Public Good
Thursday April 21, 2022, 7:00 pm EDT
https://bit.ly/Trees-As-A-Public-Good
Mature trees sequester substantial amounts of carbon, something that saplings cannot accomplish for decades. The loss of even a single tree impacts air quality, heat levels, and storm water drainage. So every loss of a mature tree contributes to the climate crisis and impacts public health. Neighborhoods and towns with less wealth and more people of color have fewer trees and are at greater risk for health and climate emergencies, making the loss of mature trees also an environmental justice issue. This online forum on Thursday, April 21 at 7 pm EDT will make the case that trees are a public good and discuss steps that local organizations and communities can take to protect our tree canopies.
And Mark Your Calendars…..
Lobby & Learn: The End-of-Session Clock is Ticking!
The current Legislative Session in Massachusetts will be coming to a close at the end of July, and that date will be here before you know it.
Rather than a typical virtual lobby day, this event — hosted on Wednesday, May 4th, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm — will be focused on learning more about some of our top legislative priorities and how to take action to support them.
The first hour will consist of deep dives on legislation. The second hour will consist of breakout groups for taking action in this critical part of the session: whether phone banking or text-banking to constituents of key legislators, relational organizing, or letter-writing. May the force of advocacy be with you in May and always!
On Thursday, April 14, the MA Senate passed a new climate bill,S.2819: An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward, which focused on accelerating the clean energy transition and the shift to electric vehicles. Notably, the bill also creates a pilot program for municipalities to ban oil/gas hookups in new construction, solving the legal problem that municipalities like Brookline have faced in trying to do so.
Transportation advocates were very critical of the bill’s focus on electric vehicles as opposed to a “mode shift” focus, i.e., how we can shift people from cars (electric or not) to more sustainable forms of transportation (walking, biking, public transit). Indeed, although the bill had new targets for public transit electrification, there were no new investments made in it for our state’s public transit infrastructure (let alone biking or pedestrian infrastructure).
The bill passed 37 to 3, with the NO votes coming from the chamber’s 3 Republicans (Ryan Fattman of Sutton, Patrick O’Connor of Weymouth, Bruce Tarr of Gloucester).
The following overview of the bill combines information from the Senate summary provided to press and the write-up from the Massachusetts Sierra Club.
Clean Energy
Enables nuclear fusion, networked geothermal, and deep geothermal energy to be eligible for support from the Mass Clean Energy Center
Creates a $100 million Clean Energy Investment Fund
Updates the offshore wind procurement process by maintaining a price cap while allowing certain direct economic development costs to be excluded from the calculation, removing utilities from the role as selector of the winning procurement, and reducing the remuneration rate for utilities
Removes impediments to medium-sized solar developments and tees up a successor to the state’s SMART solar program (Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target) solar program that favors development in the built environment
Expands the ability for “dual use” solar and agriculture projects to receive incentives, and incentivizes pollinator-friendly measures in solar developments
Authorizes all public pensions, with the exception of the state employees retirement system, the state teachers retirement system, and the State Boston retirement system, to divest from any investment in fossil fuel companies
Electric Vehicles
Establishes a $100 million fund for the MOR-EV rebate program (Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles) and provides a $3,500 point-of-sale rebate for the purchase of an electric car or light-duty trucks (with an additional $1000 for trading in a gas-powered vehicle), with $4,500 for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles; also allows used vehicles to qualify for the first time and establishes a $1,500 rebate at point of sale for low-income buyers
Creates a new outreach program for underserved and low-income communities, as well as communities with high proportions of high-emission vehicles
Codifies Governor Baker’s pledge for all vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035;
Requires the entire MBTA bus fleet to be electric by 2040, with no gas-powered purchases after 2028 (Note that environmental groups had advocated for a 2030 deadline for full electrification)
Requires emissions reduction targets for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft
Creates a new interagency coordinating council to develop and implement a plan for deploying EV charging infrastructure in an equitable and accessible way, backed by a $50 million fund
Requires new developments to allocate 10 percent of parking spaces to electric vehicle charging
Requires utilities to offer reduced electricity rates for off-peak EV charging
Buildings
Creates a 10-municipality demonstration project allowing municipalities to restrict the use of fossil fuels in new construction projects
Limits ratepayer-funded efficiency programs from incentivizing fossil fuel equipment starting in 2025
Expands equity in the Mass Save program by requiring DPU to include equity data in its evaluation of efficiency investment plans and to invest to strategically to reduce racial disparities in outcomes
Other Measures
Prevents biomass facilities from receiving state clean energy incentives
Directs creation of a study into future energy storage needs
Bans competitive electricity suppliers, who often prey on the most vulnerable, from operating in Massachusetts
The Amendment Process: What Was Adopted, Rejected, or Withdrawn without a Vote
Most floor debate happens without discussion or a vote. Occasionally, a lead sponsor will make some remarks before an amendment is adopted by voice vote or before withdrawing the amendment to avoid seeing it rejected. Thursday was no different.
Moreover, many amendments that were adopted were redrafted before adoption. Curious to know how an amendment changed during redrafting? Well, so am I. The Senate does not show the original text, a striking lack of transparency.
Here’s a run-down of the fate of some key amendments advocated for by the Sierra Club or Mass Power Forward:
Adopted by Voice Vote
#5 Offshore Wind, redrated (Cyr): Increases the minimum required offshore wind target to 10,000 MW total by 2035 and ensures that local indigenous tribes are included in both the process and the opportunities that result
#7 Large Building Energy Reporting, redrafted (Rausch): Requires the owners of large buildings (such as offices, apartments, hospitals, and university campuses) to report their energy use to the state each year and allows municipalities to set stronger reporting standards
#13 Commuter Rail Electrification, redrafted (Crighton): Requires all commuter rail procurements to be electric by 2031 and requires the MBTA to establish short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans for each commuter rail line and how they fit into the state’s emissions reductions goals
#36 Monitoring & Reducing Air Pollution, redrafted (Jehlen): Creates a committee to identify air pollution hotspots and establish baseline pollution levels, and requires a 2024 report from the committee on how to reduce air pollution in identified locations by 50 percent by December 31, 2030
#65 Mass Save Equity, redrafted (Chang-Díaz): Adds increased valuation of equity, renter access, and data collection in Mass Save programs
#128 Green and Healthy School Buildings, redrafted (Comerford): Assesses and creates a plan to renovate k-12 schools to improve energy efficiency, air quality, temperature and light control and more, starting with the highest needs schools
Rejected by Voice Vote
#8 Large Building Energy Performance Standards (Rausch): Requires large buildings to meet minimum standards for energy efficiency, reducing their reliance on fossil fuels over time
#31 Prioritizing Project Labor Agreements in Offshore Wind Energy Generation Proposals (Feeney): Requires DOER to give preference to offshore wind proposals that demonstrate benefits from the greatest economic development and employment contributions and adds consideration of the use of project labor agreements for the life cycle of offshore wind projects
#55 Promoting Sustainable Development and Infrastructure (Collins): Integrates climate adaptation planning across various components of the economy, such as capital infrastructure projects, environmental impact reviews, utility infrastructure, and building codes and standards
#63 Expanding Electric New Construction (Eldridge): Increases the number of municipalities that can participate in the demonstration project allowing municipalities to restrict the use of fossil fuels in new construction projects by 30 to a total of 40
#82 Parking Spaces Wired for Charging Stations (Edwards): Requires at least 90% of all parking spaces in new residential and commercial construction be wired to be electric vehicle capable
#88 Fleet Electrification (Edwards): Sets interim targets and requires all public fleets including state, municipal, and school bus fleets to be electric by 2035. Also requires the DOER to design an incentive program to encourage the transition of private fleets to electric vehicles
#122 Methane emissions accounting (Comerford): Updates MA’s greenhouse gas reporting law to meet latest scientific understandings on methane emissions, ensuring more accurate and consistent accounting of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the use of methane
#148 Expanding the MassSave program (Chandler): Expands the range of energy efficiency applications and subsidies covered by the MassSave program to include insulation, upgrading electrical systems, heat pumps, and solar energy systems
Withdrawn
#24 Fare-Free Bus Pilot (Jehlen): Requires the MBTA and the RTA to implement a one-year fare-free bus pilot by March 31, 2023
#33 Hydrogen & Biomethane Gas Contracts (Jehlen): Prevents the department of public utilities from approving a contract for the so-called “decarbonized gases” of hydrogen, renewable natural gas, or any gas derived from hydrogen if it costs more than an average cost of fossil gas
#64 Food Justice with Jobs (Eldridge): Creates Community Land Trusts in food-insecure communities in order to grow more food and create food security jobs, and creates Garden Agriculture Program and Grants
#89 Restrict the use of fossil fuels in new construction projects (Friedman): Expands the number of municipalities that can participate in the demonstration project allowing municipalities to restrict the use of fossil fuels in new construction projects by greenlighting all gateway cities with over 50,000 residents and 20-30 additional towns.
#109 Equitable Siting in East Boston (Edwards): Prevents the building of an electrical substation in East Boston
#118 Electrification of New and Substantially Remodeled or Rehabilitated Buildings (Comerford): Requires all newly constructed, substantially remodeled, or rehabilitated buildings to use electricity or thermal solar instead of fossil fuels, with some exceptions; allows municipalities to impose reasonable penalties for violations
Notable Roll Call Votes
As noted earlier, the final bill was a party-line vote of 37-3. The Senate also rejected 36-3 the Republican caucus’s substitute version of the bill, a truncated version of the bill that allows the “future of gas” work of the Department of Public Utilities to conclude with the current governor and that removes the language ensuring that wood-burning electric power plants not be counted as clean energy.
The Senate voted unanimously for amendments to allow local pension funds to divest from fossil fuels (#57, Pacheco) and to require MassDOT to assist Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) in transitioning to the use of electric buses (#123, Chandler).
The most interesting contested vote was that on Sen. Pacheco (D-Taunton)’s Amendment #4: Building Environmental Justice and Energy Efficiency With Jobs, which integrated critical pieces of the Building Justice with Jobs bill with funding sources. The amendment requested $1 billion from federal Covid-19 recovery funds be transferred to the Clean Energy Investment Fund for at least 1 million home retrofits, prioritizing people living in Environmental Justice (EJ) communities. The amendment was a key priority for the Mass Renews Alliance, MA Power Forward, 350 Mass, and the Mass Sierra Club.
There was a tense floor debate between Sen. Pacheco and Sen. Barrett (D-Lexington), the chairman of the Telecommunications, Utilities, and & Energy Committee. Barrett criticized the amendment for requesting too much of the remaining $2.5 billion in ARPA funds (although, given the urgency of climate action, effective equity and job-focused climate investment can never be too little) and for delegating the creation of a plan to a task force of state officials, policy experts, and community and nonprofit leaders rather than the Legislature itself (strikingly, this seemed to be a rare moment of legislators complaining about something being delegated to a commission…).
The amendment failed on an 11 to 28 vote, with strange coalitions on either side.
Spring holidays are a time to reflect on the themes of liberation and of new life. Themes that are especially relevant when it comes to our transition away from fossil fuels toward a renewable energy future, and away from a punitive, costly, and ineffective carceral system toward a system rooted in humanity and second chances.
MA Senate Climate Bill: Free Our Energy System from Fossil Fuels
Last week, the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made clear that it’s “now or never” to act on climate change. Every country (and every state, and every city) needs to enlarge its ambitions, as we build a world free from fossil fuel dependency. A world with cleaner air, better transit, and healthier lives. A world that with its cleaner air, healthier lives, and better transit will be better for all.
Tomorrow, the MA Senate will be voting on a new climate bill: S.2180, An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward. The bill takes many positive steps forward, but it does not do enough when it comes to accelerating our transition from renewable energy, improving the energy efficiency of our buildings sector, and investing in public transit.
Prisons are fundamentally unsafe environments, designed for punishment not rehabilitation. Warehousing people in settings rife with human rights abuses, price gouging, and isolation does not make anyone safer; indeed, our system makes us all worse off.
We know what works and what doesn’t from years of study and from the organizing and advocacy of impacted communities. We need to avoid entrenching a flawed system, we need to ensure that individuals who are incarcerated can maintain a connection with loved ones outside, and we need to ensure that young people have second chances, rather than being cut off from opportunities for life.
This Friday is a key deadline for the MA Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee in making that better vision a reality.
The members of the Judiciary Committee need to hear from you about these bills in particular:
No Cost Calls: H.1900: An Act relative to inmate telephone calls, which would prevent prisons and jails from charging individuals who are incarcerated for phone calls to loved ones.
Prison Moratorium: H.1905: An Act establishing a jail and prison construction moratorium, which would prevent the state from building new prisons and jails and from thereby locking in a carceral system through increased capacity.
Raising the Age: S.920 / H.1826: An Act to promote public safety and better outcomes for young adults, which would raise the age of criminal majority to 21, allowing offending youth to have better access to treatment and educational services and thereby reducing recidivism.
Juvenile Expungement: S.980 / H.1531: An Act relative to expungement of juvenile and young adult records, which would expand access to expungement to ensure young people who are on the right track can have better access to education and employment opportunities.
Are your legislators on the Committee? If so, send them an email / give them a call asking for a favorable report for these bills.
Tomorrow, the MA House is voting on a bill to generate revenue for an offshore wind investment fund and establish a slate of tax credits and incentives to promote offshore wind.
Massachusetts is well-positioned to be a leader in the renewable energy economy, but as we grow that sector, it is important that we make sure that all communities, especially the underserved, can benefit from the new opportunities provided.
Last month, the MA House voted 120 to 36 to pass the Work & Family Mobility Act (often referred to as the “Driver’s License Bill”), which would enable all qualified state residents to apply for a standard Massachusetts driver’s license or identification card regardless of immigrant status.
The case for the bill is clear. Many MA residents depend on a car to get to work, to school, to the hospital, etc., and immigration status shouldn’t be a barrier to getting a license. If all drivers have passed the same test and know the same rules of the road, and are properly insured, we all benefit from the safer roads that result.
Despite this, the bill had been stalled in the Legislature session after session. But the years of hard work done by advocates, especially those from immigrant-led organizations, paid off.
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