Mothers Out Front is excited about the climate bill recently refiled by Senate President Spilka and Speaker of the House Mariano. S.9, “An act creating a next-generation roadmap for Massachusetts climate policy” is the same bill that was passed in early January, after intense negotiations by the Climate Policy Conference Committee, co-chaired by our own Senator Mike Barrett. He talked extensively about this bill at an online event last Sunday, sponsored by Metro West Climate Solutions and First Parish of Weston.
This landmark bill, the strongest climate legislation passed in at least a decade, includes many great initiatives to move our Commonwealth towards a sustainable future with a swift, complete, and just transition away from fossil fuels and their climate-disrupting carbon emissions. I use those three words because they embody the mission of Mothers Out Front.
The bill is swift because it raises the target goal from 80% of the 1990 benchmark CO2 levels to net zero emissions by 2050. Net Zero means carbon neutral—new emissions are offset by carbon-absorbing practices like sustainable forestry and soil regeneration. Current research shows that this stronger standard is necessary to prevent dangerous and perhaps irreversible change to our climate.
Furthermore, the bill requires the Administration to issue progress reports every five years, instead of the current ten.
The bill facilitates a more complete transition because it mandates steady emissions reductions not only in electric power generation but across all sectors, including buildings (think heating) and transportation. Buildings and transportation are currently the source of over 2/3 of the state’s annual CO2 emissions.
It also opens a way for gas utilities to transition away from their current charge to distribute natural gas, allowing them to test new ways to provide heat using clean, renewable energy sources like geothermal.
And finally, the bill is just because, for the first time ever, vulnerable communities are identified and protected by law from shouldering a disproportionate share of the adverse effects of climate mitigation. These communities are also guaranteed the right to be consulted and to have “a place at the table” in future actions affecting them.
But this bill isn’t just a state thing, it has real potential to help Bedford and our residents as well. As Senator Barrett described it, the theme of the bill is “practical solutions” that can be adopted by towns pursuing their own climate actions.
Some of these are things we already do, like expanding infrastructure to support electric vehicles (think charging stations); others offer new options, like increased access to solar-power programs for low-income residents, non-profits, and even town governments. Loosened caps on net-metering could encourage, strengthen, and expand Bedford’s solar generating capacity.
Bedford has its own net-zero plan for buildings, authorized by Special Town Meeting in November 2017. The success of the plan developed by Peregrine Energy for Bedford in 2019 could benefit from the new option to adopt net zero stretch codes for new construction. New construction, residential and commercial, would not contribute to the CO2 buildup in the atmosphere. As most builders recognize, the higher upfront costs for net-zero versus energy-efficient buildings are offset by the substantial savings in operating costs over the life of the building.
Finally, the rate of transition to fully clean energy sources for electric power is raised to 3% per year. Our municipal buildings already have contracts for 100% renewable energy. Many residents have opted for up to 50% or 100% renewable as well. This provision in the bill ensures that electric utilities increase the rate at which they are converting to renewable energy, providing all their customers this cleaner energy and creating a steady demand for sustainable, non-carbon-emitting energy sources.
A favorable vote is expected in both chambers of the Legislature any day now. The question is—what will the Governor do this time? Mothers Out Front hopes that he recognizes the broad support this bill has across the state, the outstanding commitment it enjoys in the Legislature, its close affinity to many of his own Administration’s plans, and the urgency of the need to sign the bill and make it law. Our future and the welfare of our children depend on it!
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