Legislative Priorities
Buildings
GOAL: Accelerate the decarbonization of existing buildings and new construction.
Mass Save assessments (S.2247, H.3565)
Expands home energy audits to include all ways to fully decarbonize buildings.
Building energy and decarbonization (S.2294, H.3529)
Sets energy and emission performance standards for large buildings.
Embodied carbon reductions in state projects (S.2127, H.3337)
Requires new state-funded buildings to use low carbon building materials.
GOAL: Regulate gas system expansion and pipeline replacement and identify cost-effective and equitable means for transitioning neighborhoods off gas.
A tactical transition to affordable, clean thermal energy (S.2249, H.3539)
Requires utilities to plan for retiring pipelines and to consider affordable options for electrifying service areas before replacing pipes. DPU is to identify neighborhoods that can be transitioned off gas.
Other Buildings ECA Mass Endorsed Legislation
An Act bringing Mass Save in line with climate mandates (S.2281)
Updates Mass Save mission to include supporting all approaches to building decarbonization.
An Act to establish home energy efficiency ratings (S.2231)
Requires home sellers to provide ratings to buyers.
Establishing a Zero Carbon Renovation Fund (S.2286, H.3577)
Provides additional funding to support electrifying residential buildings.
Budget and Funding
GOAL: Find new long-term sources of funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Creating a climate bank in Massachusetts (S.786, H.3937)
Establishes an independent state-backed financial institution that would expand funding to several major sectors and attract private capital to fund GHG reduction efforts.
Establishing a Climate Change Superfund (S.588, H.1014)
Requires the 20 largest fossil fuel companies to pay into a fund that would pay for damages caused by historical emissions from fossil fuels.
Environmental bond bill (TBD: To be introduced by Governor Healey)
Authorizes bonds to fund environmental programs and projects over the next five years.
Other Budget and Funding ECA Mass Endorsed Legislation
Environmental League of MA Green Budget (H.1)
Support inclusion of ELM’s green budget priorities in the state budget.
Energy
GOAL: Accelerate the transition to clean energy.
Prevent gas expansion to protect climate, community health and safety. (S.2290, H.3547)
Establishes a “moratorium” on new gas system expansion and expansion of existing gas facilities within 5 miles of EJ neighborhoods “unless required for the safety of the public”.
Other Energy ECA Mass Endorsed Legislation
An Act relative to electric ratepayer protections (S.2266, H.3534)
Prohibits third-party suppliers from entering into contracts with individual residential customers.
An Act prohibiting the use of ratepayer funds for utility lobbying, promotions, or perks (H.3400, S.2239)
An Act to encourage solar development on buildings and disturbed land. (H.3559)
Defines “built” and “disturbed land” on which solar incentives are enhanced, including by relaxing net metering caps, increasing SMART adders, and subsidizing roof repairs, in order to help protect natural land.
An Act relative to municipal voices in gas utility work. (H.3446, S.2248)
Enhance local government involvement in gas utility projects.
An Act relative to the protection and development of the thermal commons of the Commonwealth (H.3543)
Define and regulate “thermal commons” – geothermal energy which can be used for the benefit of the Commonwealth.
An Act establishing a special legislative commission to study small modular reactors (H.3512)
An Act Relative to Carbon Emission Reduction and Advanced Nuclear Energy Generation (H.3569)
Natural Solutions
GOAL: Support municipalities in improving tree canopies to provide cooling, promote health and draw down CO2.
Establishing the Municipal Reforestation Program (S.553, H.1013)
Provides financial resources and technical assistance to cities and towns to expand and care for their urban forests, with priority given to neighborhoods that are “tree deserts,” which are often environmental justice communities.
GOAL: Protect forests on public lands by updating century-old public land policies to make them consistent with the latest climate and biological science.
Watershed forest protection (H.952)
Designates state watershed forest lands under the Division of Water Supply Protection as parks or reserves.
Forest protection (H.953)
Designates all state lands under the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation as parks or reserves.
Increased protection of wildlife management areas. (H.1048)
Designates at least 30% of state Wildlife Management Areas as reserves by 2030.
Plastics
GOAL: Reduce the pervasive presence of plastics to cut fossil fuel emissions and to improve public health by reducing the toxic effects of plastics and their waste management.
Plastic bag reduction (H.933, S.590)
Bans distribution of single-use plastic bags and authorizes fees for paper bags. Will reduce filmy plastic litter and standardize bag rules in cities and towns.
Reduce polystyrene in the environment (H.912, S.629)
Reduces use of polystyrene in food ware, packing material, single-use coolers and other products to protect public health and to reduce litter and the need for municipalities to manage waste/recycling.
Update the bottle bill (H.3464, S.2245)
Expands bottle bill (see also here) coverage to almost all plastic beverage containers, increases the deposit to ten cents and proposes increasing fees if targets for return and recycling are not met. The Senate version also requires a study of resources needed to move to a system of refill and reuse of glass bottles.
Other Plastics ECA Mass Endorsed Legislation
An Act Prohibiting the Use and Sale of Toxic Sludge (H.136)
Regulates the use of sludge as a fertilizer (when mixed with food waste), soil amendment, topsoil replacement or mulch. As a result, toxic chemicals, such as PFAS, often present in sludge, would not be transmitted to our food supply.
Transportation
GOAL: Reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled by providing mode shifting incentives to move individuals from using personal cars and trucks to mass transit options.
Aligning the Commonwealth’s transportation plans with its climate goals (S.2246, H.3726)
All state and regional transit plans must provide a reasonable pathway to compliance with the greenhouse gas emissions limits for transportation.
Streamline permitting for rail electrification (H.1027, S.561)
Electrification of rail will allow more frequent and reliable service as well as decreased emissions and pollution. This bill will speed adoption by exempting construction of electric and hybrid train infrastructure and power infrastructure from preparation of environmental impact statements.
GOAL: Improve the availability and dependability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Electric vehicle charging infrastructure (H.3558)
Requires all new gas stations in proximity to optimal sites identified by the electric vehicle coordinating council that are along or near MA major roadways to install at least three electric vehicle fast charging stations.
Other Transportation ECA Mass Endorsed Legislation
Tolls on the roadways of the Commonwealth (S.2357)
Department of Transportation to study and report on electronic tolling, potentially establishing a Congestion Pricing protocol.
Climate and Environmental Justice
ECA Mass Endorsed Legislation
Outdoor Air Quality for Communities Overburdened by Outdoor Air Pollution (H.2369, S.1548)
Creates an advisory committee to study air pollution hotspots and recommend locations for air filtration units.
Improve indoor air quality for highly-impacted communities (H.2427, S.2276)
Creates a task force to study and remediate indoor air pollution and mold in a variety of buildings including schools and housing.
Educational Savings Accounts (529s)
ECA Mass Endorsed Legislation
Fossil fuel free 529s. (H.3206)
This bill seeks to have a non-fossil fuel investing option for 529 education plans