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Our goal with the MassDems Wire is to give you the tools to boost Democrats and take on Governor Baker and his Republican allies. Use this information on social media, as the basis for a letter to the editor of your local paper, in emails to your personal network, or in conversation with your friends and neighbors.
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Dear Activist,
To prevent the worst effects of climate change, we need to take bold, urgent action--including phasing out the use of natural gas. But who does Charlie Baker want to lead the charge? Not advocates. Not legislators. Not researchers or scientists.
Charlie Baker put the gas companies in charge of drafting our transition to a gas-free future. We shouldn’t need to point out the flaws with that plan.
But yesterday, when Baker was questioned about his plan in an interview on Boston Public Radio, he said:
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with asking them to write the first draft.”
Charlie Baker doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with letting utilities set the agenda and pace for climate action. But by handing the gas companies the pen for the first draft, we risk them putting the interests (aka profits) of the gas industry before what’s best for Massachusetts.
This isn’t the first time Baker’s flouted our climate goals to appease his wealthy friends and donors. Here are three more times Charlie Baker has failed Massachusetts when it comes to the environment:
1. Baker Rubber-stamped the Weymouth Compressor
Charlie Baker rubber-stamped the controversial Weymouth Compressor, a natural gas compressor station advocates have called a ticking time-bomb and an environmental nightmare. A Spotlight report from the Boston Globe revealed how the Baker-Polito administration played political games, ignored and deleted public health data, and evaded and insulted advocates to ensure their donors were able to build the compressor. In the most densely populated coastal location ever in the United States, the Weymouth Compressor has already been shut down multiple times for immediate safety concerns, and poses a long term threat to the public health of the South Shore.
2. Baker Vetoed Ambitious Goals in Democrats’ Climate Bill
When Democrats sent an ambitious, and direly needed, climate action bill to Charlie Baker’s desk, he vetoed critical emissions targets and key aspects of the legislation--not once, but twice. Baker used typical Republican tactics to depict a false choice between our economy and our environment, in order to protect his wealthy friends and donors in the real estate industry. Democrats didn’t back down from their ambitious goals, and Baker had no choice but to sign the legislation or risk an override.
3. Baker Received an F from Leading Environmental Organizations
In their most recent report card, six leading climate groups gave Charlie Baker and Karyn Polito an F in environmental justice. The organizations urged the Baker administration to take responsibility for the health and safety of communities most affected by climate change, calling Baker’s choice to greenlight the Weymouth Compressor “deeply flawed and raised serious questions about the state’s commitment to environmental justice and meeting our greenhouse gas emission reduction targets."
Baker’s climate priorities are completely out of step with those of advocates, legislators, and voters in the Commonwealth. The threat posed by climate change is imminent, yet Baker’s more concerned about the profit margins of his donors and friends.
If we want someone in the Corner Office who’ll take climate action seriously--someone who’ll put what’s best for Bay Staters before everything else--we have to elect a Democrat in 2022. Take the first step today by sharing our post on social media by clicking here or below.
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Sincerely,
Allison Mitchell
Communications Director
Massachusetts Democratic Party
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