Response to the Governor’s Amendments for a Strong Climate, Wind, and Jobs Bill

The Honorable Ronald Mariano The Honorable Karen Spilka

Speaker of the House of Representatives President of the Senate

Massachusetts State House, Room 356 Massachusetts State House, Room 332

The Honorable Jeffrey N. Roy The Honorable Michael J. Barrett

House Chair, Joint Committee on Senate Chair, Joint Committee on

Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy Telecommunications, Utilities, & Energy

Massachusetts State House, Room 42 Massachusetts State House, Room 109D

Re: Response to the Governor’s Amendments for a Strong Climate, Wind, and Jobs Bill

Dear Speaker Mariano, President Spilka, Chair Roy, and Chair Barrett,

We applaud the hard work you and your colleagues have been doing to ensure the Commonwealth is taking the necessary and bold steps to develop equitable climate legislation for all MA residents.

We ask that you accept, revise, and reject the following gubernatorial amendments, respectively, in H.5060, An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind:

1. Accept Section 67(a) – Allocating $750M American Rescue Plan Act funds to investments in clean energy is critical for accelerating the Commonwealth’s clean energy sector. Buildings are the second largest source of emissions in MA, and funds are needed to transform our existing buildings from polluters to protectors of our health, communities and the climate. Investing $300M for retrofitting our existing buildings is urgently needed.

2. Accept Section 87(a) – this amendment ensures that low- and moderate-income residents can benefit from climate resilient buildings and that buildings are made to be truly climate resilient: super efficient, all-electric, with renewable energy generated and stored on-site.

3. Reject Section 88 – The Legislature’s biomass provisions are urgently needed. Gov. Baker’s amendment completely undermines the intent of the climate bill by creating a blanket exemption for any biomass power plant that began commercial operation prior to 2022. If not rejected, dozens of old and polluting biomass power plants across New England could qualify for Massachusetts’ renewable energy subsidies when Governor Baker’s RPS biomass rule changes go into effect later this summer. Please reject this amendment.

4. Reject Baker’s proposal to remove Section 57 - The Gas System Enhancement Plan working group is critical to holding our utilities accountable in working on behalf of communities. It helps to ensure that utilities are reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a pace that meets the Commonwealth’s legally binding emissions reductions requirements. Please reject the Governor’s amendment that would remove this working group.

We need a climate bill that supports all communities in the equitable transition to clean energy and climate resilient buildings.

Thank you for your service and leadership.

Sincerely,

• 350 Central Mass

• 350 Mass

• Allandale Coalition

• Andover WECAN

• Berkshire Environmental Action Team

• Boston Catholic Climate Movement

• Boston Clean Energy Coalition

• Boston Climate Action Network

• Boston Teachers Union

• Brookhaven Residents Climate Change Committee

• Canton Residents for a Sustainable Equitable Future

• Clean Water Action

• Climate Action Now (Western Mass)

• Climate Code Blue

• Climate Reality Project Massachusetts Southcoast

• Community Action Works Campaigns

• Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation

• Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation

• Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative

• Faith Communities Environmental Network

• Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station

• Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility

• Green Newton

• Groundwork Lawrence

• HealthLink

• Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action

• Jewish Climate Action Network - MA

• Kavod Boston

• Lexington Climate Action Network

• Longmeadow Pipeline Awareness Group

• Lynn United for Change

• Massachusetts Climate Action Network

• Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light

• Mothers Out Front MA

• Mothers Out Front Worcester

• No Fracked Gas in Mass

• NOFA/Mass

• Partnership for Policy Integrity

• Pipe Line Awareness Network for the Northeast (PLAN-NE)

• Renew Worcester

• Salem Alliance for the Environment-SAFE

• Sierra Club Massachusetts

• South Coast Neighbors United

• Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation

• Springfield Climate Justice Coalition

• Sustainable Middleborough

• Sustainable Wellesley

• Tipping Point 01545

• Unitarian Universalist Mass Action

  • Climate Action Task Force; First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton

  • Environmental Justice Committee, First Parish in Bedford

  • First Parish Church/Lexington,MA

  • Green Sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Reading

  • North Parish of North Andover Climate Justice Group

  • First Parish of Concord Environmental Team