Friends,

The House of Representatives is IN SESSION RIGHT NOW voting on the most important climate legislation to come out of the House in the last two years, H.4912, A 2050 Roadmap to a Clean and Thriving Commonwealth

• Emissions targets for 2030 and 2040, which require the state to reduce emissions by 50% and 75% below 1990 levels respectively.
• A commitment to a statewide net zero emission target by 2050.
• Establishes a “clean energy equity workforce and market development program” within the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (Mass CEC).
• Creates a low-income home retrofit task force to make recommendations to the energy efficiency advisory council to increase access for low income residents.
• Establishes a greenhouse gas reporting standard for Municipal Light Plants (MLPs) that requires 50% non-emitting energy by 2030, 75% non-emitting energy by 2040, and net zero emissions by 2050. “Non-emitting” is broadly defined.
• Various improvements around net metering and the SMART solar incentive program
• Establishes a future utility grid commissions to make recommendations to better connect renewable energy and storage to the grid.

• A commitment to environmental justice that ensures already vulnerable communities are not left behind.
• Language that ensures that all emissions are measured. “Zero net emissions” doesn’t mean much if there are unmeasured emissions!
• An accelerated emissions reduction timeline, more in line with the scientific consensus.
• Currently biomass fuel, landfill methane, and anaerobic digester gas are counted as “non-emitting.”

Our priority amendments: 52, 6, 56, 62, 31, 46, 17, 81, 21
 

Environmental Justice:
#52 Environmental Justice (Madaro) - Defines Environmental Justice and supports community engagement and benefits
#6 Prioritizing Rebates to Massachusetts low- and moderate- income Families (Driscoll) -  Provides rebates to low- and moderate- income households within any carbon pricing program that is created
#56 Investing in Working & Environmental Justice Communities (Robinson) - Ensures at least 40% of revenues from carbon pricing be rebated to low-income and environmental justice communities

Accelerating Emissions Timelines:
#62 Accelerating Emission Target Deadlines (Sabadosa) - moves up the deadline for the Baker administration to issue 2030 and 2040 targets as well as regulations to achieve net zero by 2050.

100% Renewable Energy:
#31 Clean Electricity Implementation (Decker) - accelerates the annual increase in renewable energy required by the renewable portfolio standard so we get to 100% renewable electricity faster (current date is roughly 2095).
#46 Heating and Transportation Clean Energy Transition (Decker) - sets requirements to reduce emissions in the heating and transportation sector.

Clarifying Emissions Coverage:
#17 Clarification of Indirect Emissions (Rogers) - Ensures that landfill emissions, gas leaks, and emissions from the agricultural sector are counted as indirect emissions.
#81 Indirect Emissions Analysis (Rogers) - Analyzes all indirect emissions not previously measured and analyzed.
#21 Definition of Non-Carbon Emitting (Ehrlich) - Eliminates language which defines biomass fuel, landfill methane, and anaerobic digester gas as “non-emitting sources”.

Here is Mass Power Forward’s Action Guide, which will has information on how to contact your Reps, as well as sample emails and scripts. Please share this with everyone you know in Massachusetts so we can ensure the Road Map bill has some teeth!

In solidarity,
Sam Payne
350 Mass for a Better Future