Submitted by Renu Kurian Bostwick
Mothers out Front of Bedford
I am hopeful about our children’s future and about our ability to collectively take action against the worst effects of global warming. We are on the brink of change. As a mother of two teenage daughters, when I allow myself to think about what the climate crisis has in store for our children’s future well-being I feel overwhelmed by the enormity of what’s ahead. Working with Mothers Out Front, a grassroots organization of mothers and other caregivers, I have seen the hard legislative struggle to put just laws and policies into place that will help us swiftly combat climate change and still protect consumers. In the past, many hopeful bills have not made it through both the Massachusetts Senate and the House of Representatives.
This month, the Massachusetts Senate has again given me hope. This time, they have made me very hopeful! They unanimously voted in support of S.2545, An Act to Promote a Clean Energy Future. It is a comprehensive bill that helps counteract many of the injustices happening in the transition to clean energy that our children need us to make. My hope in this bill becoming law is tempered by the fear that the House of Representatives will deny us this lifeline and not pass such comprehensive legislation. I urge you to join me in contacting our own Representative Ken Gordon to support all parts of this extremely important legislation.
Remember the emissions and health concerns of gas leaks that Mothers Out Front brought to your attention a few years ago? The gas utilities are currently allowed to charge customers for the “lost and unaccounted for gas”, including that from the steadily increasing leaks in our town caused by our old and unrepaired infrastructure. Senate bill S.2545 at long last requires that the utilities report lost and unaccounted for gas related to leaks. (We would apparently still be paying for it.) It also prohibits imposing a pipeline tax on ratepayers to fund new gas pipelines, and it requires the state to consider alternatives to gas infrastructure before building new pipelines. The bill also includes protection from predatory competitive electricity suppliers. Additionally, the bill also places a moratorium on fracking or storing fracking waste in Massachusetts, thereby protecting us from the toxins and health concerns associated with fracking.
Although these consumer protection portions of the bill are encouraging, the most encouraging parts of the bill are the pieces that can help us transition quickly and fairly to the clean energy future we need in order to leave a livable climate for our children. The carbon pricing initiative introduced in the bill would finally help us account financially for the harm of using fossil fuels. The elimination of net metering caps for low income and community solar would make solar energy accessible to many more of us. Requiring utilities to offer optional ‘time of use’ rates to all customers creates a new way to reduce peak demand and a way for users to reduce their electricity costs. By setting a 2,000 MW target for energy storage by 2025, Massachusetts can start fully utilizing the benefits of solar and wind energy and start weaning ourselves off dangerous gas and coal. Raising the Renewable Portfolio Standard or RPS (a mechanism for accounting for renewable energy in the electric grid) from 1% increase each year to 3% a year will give us a reasonable chance of hitting greenhouse gas reduction targets set by the Global Warming Solutions Act. Although the Global Warming Solutions Act has been in place since 2008, this new bill now requires the Commonwealth to develop a specific plan by 2023 to meet GWSA interim targets in 2030, 2040, and 2050. By requiring that 50% of the Commonwealth’s vehicles be zero emission by 2025 and that 100% of all new vehicles purchased or leased after 2026 be zero emission, we would finally be making use of the technology already available to save us from transportation emissions.
I am grateful for all the tenacious people who motivated our Senators to adopt so many great renewable energy measures. It’s time for us all to do the same with our Representatives in the House. If we succeed, we will have solid reasons to hope for our children’s future climate.
Loading ...
