Deirdre Cummings
Legislative Director, MASSPIRG
617-747-4319
[email protected]
Statement: Climate bill will bring more clean energy, electric vehicles, efficient buildings to Massachusetts
Media Contacts
BOSTON – State legislators sent a bill to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk Thursday night that would reduce energy waste and help Massachusetts’ buildings and transportation systems transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.
The overwhelming, bipartisan votes in the state House and Senate came one day after President Joe Biden’s visit to Somerset, Mass., where he called climate change a “clear and present danger.”
If Gov. Baker signs the bill into law, it will:
-
Require property owners to measure and disclose the energy use of large buildings, and identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency and convert fossil fuel heating systems to clean technologies such as heat pumps;
-
Improve electric vehicle infrastructure by including charging stations in state building codes, adding more charging stations and requiring utilities to offer incentives for off-peak use;
-
Require all cars sold in Massachusetts to be electric by 2035;
-
Set a timeline for the MBTA to convert to an all-electric bus fleet, provide assistance for regional transit authorities (RTAs) to acquire electric buses and require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop a plan to transition all school buses to electric;
-
Allow some cities and towns to adopt local policies requiring new buildings to use fossil-fuel-free heating and appliances,
Statement of Janet Domenitz, Executive Director of MASSPIRG, on the passage of the Bill:
“When signed by Governor Baker, this law will put us on a new path to a state powered with cleaner and healthier energy and away from harmful polluting fossil fuels. The legislature passed the bill in the midst of a global heat wave brought on by climate change. With federal action on climate legislation stalled, it is all the more important that we do our part here in Massachusetts and step up as the national leaders we have always been. We are grateful to the legislature for its hard work getting this over the finish line and now call on Governor Baker to sign the bill on his desk.”
“A cleaner climate is key to a healthy and safe future for us, our children and our grandchildren. This bill will result in cleaner air and healthier communities throughout the Commonwealth and will accelerate our efforts to zero out climate emissions. While it is a critical step forward, the increasing extreme weather events are a constant reminder that we have to continue down this path at an even faster pace.”
