BOSTON – Senator Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury) announced that more than 80 state legislators have united in support of bold climate solutions in 2019. The statement signals considerable support for climate action in the upcoming legislative session.
“We have an obligation to help ensure the Commonwealth does its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Senator Moore, who formerly served an Environmental Police Officer. “Climate change is a very real challenge with harmful impacts including temperature changes, drought, inland flooding and elevated sea levels. It is my hope that legislation to address this area will advance to the Governor’s desk during this session.”
The New Year’s Resolution statement highlights the need to update statewide emissions requirements established in 2008 by the Global Warming Solutions Act. At a December 18th oversight hearing held by the standing Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change and the standing House Committee on Global Warming & Climate Change, climate scientists testified that the state is not on pace to reach its emissions reduction mandates. Expert testimony also stressed that the state’s current requirements, adopted a decade ago, are no longer enough to mitigate the imminent effects of climate change.
Resolution Text
A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: COMMITTING TO THE ENACTMENT & IMPLEMENTATION OF BOLD CLIMATE SOLUTIONS IN 2019
The beginning of a New Year presents us with an ideal opportunity to reflect on our progress, revisit our goals, and put plans in place to bring them to fruition.
On December 18th, 2018, the standing Senate Committee on Global Warming & Climate Change and the standing House Committee on Global Warming & Climate Change held an oversight hearing to assess the status of emissions reduction in the Commonwealth. Climate experts provided firsthand testimony in the context of our latest statewide emissions data and recent reports by the International Panel on Climate Change and the U.S. Global Change Research Program that paint a stark picture of our not-too-distant future.
The message is clear: we are not on pace to meet our emissions reduction requirements and the devastating effects of climate change are even more urgent and imminent than originally anticipated. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on federal leadership to guide efforts to avoid this existential threat. The current administration’s series of major policy rollbacks demonstrate a fundamental disregard for the urgency of this imminent crisis. In the absence of federal guidance, state-based initiatives continue to be our best recourse for preventing the worst effects of climate change.
We should be incredibly proud that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been at the vanguard of these state efforts to address climate change. We have taken crucial steps and made serious progress since 2008.
But we are lagging behind our requirements and, in the process, failing to seize upon the major economic opportunities that would likely accompany a swift and strategic renewable transition. Moreover, the latest data tells us that even our Global Warming Solutions Act requirements may not be enough to address the devastating impacts of chronic environmental deterioration and extreme climate events.
Nevertheless, we have the capacity to put policies in place that drastically reduce the effects of global warming and help to prevent our climate crisis from spiraling out of control. We can address these problems and overcome them. All we need now is to muster the political will to act.
In light of the new scientific reports, our inconsistent emissions reduction progress, and our state’s responsibility to do whatever it can to prevent Global Warming and Climate Change - the time has come to implement the policies that we know will achieve these critical goals. Yesterday was the first formal session of the 191st Massachusetts General Court. And today, January 3rd, the Governor will be inaugurated into office. In this New Year, as members of the 191st Massachusetts General Court, let us, together, resolve to do what must be done in order to ensure our climate policies have the meaningful, positive impact that our Commonwealth and our citizens deserve.
At the outset of 2019, we must adopt a comprehensive set of climate solutions. An overwhelming consensus of climate scientists and environmental experts agree we must proceed with a comprehensive approach to avoid the worst effects of our impending climate crisis and, at a minimum:
Update our overall requirements to achieve net zero emissions 2050
Eliminate the Net Metering Cap on Solar
Raise the annual Renewable Portfolio Standard percentage increase
Implement intermediate greenhouse gas emissions requirements
Require market-based compliance measures for the following sectors: transportation, commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential buildings.
Allow for the statewide procurement of 6,000 MW of offshore wind energy resources
The undersigned members of the House and Senate concur with the need for these evidence-based policies and understand that there is no time to waste, the time for climate action is now.
Signatories
Senator Marc Pacheco
Representative Ruth Balser
Senator Joseph Boncore
Representative James Arciero
Senator Michael Brady
Representative Brian Ashe
Senator William Brownsberger
Representative Bruce Ayers
Senator Harriette Chandler
Representative Christine Barber
Senator Nick Collins
Representative Natalie Blais
Senator Joanne Comerford
Representative Antonio Cabral
Senator Cynthia Creem
Representative Linda Dean Campbell
Senator Brendan Crighton
Representative Peter Capano
Senator Julian Cyr
Representative Michelle Ciccolo
Senator Viriato deMacedo
Representative Mike Connolly
Senator Sal DiDomenico
Representative Mindy Domb
Senator Diana DiZoglio
Representative Paul Donato
Senator James Eldridge
Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier
Senator Ryan Fattman
Representative Dylan Fernandes
Senator Paul Feeney
Representative Carmine Gentile
Senator Barry Finegold
Representative Kenneth Gordon
Senator Cindy Friedman
Representative Tami Gouveia
Senator Anne Gobi
Representative James Hawkins
Senator Adam Hinds
Representative Jonathan Hecht
Senator Donald Humason
Representative Natalie Higgins
Senator Patricia Jehlen
Representative John Rogers
Senator Edward Kennedy
Representative Louis Kafka
Senator Eric Lesser
Representative Mary Keefe
Senator Jason Lewis
Representative Kay Khan
Senator Joan Lovely
Representative David LeBoeuf
Senator Mark Montigny
Representative Jack Lewis
Senator Michael Moore
Representative David Linsky
Senator Patrick O'Connor
Representative Jay Livingstone
Senator Rebecca Rausch
Representative Paul Mark
Senator Michael Rodrigues
Representative Paul McMurtry
Senator Michael Rush
Representative Liz Miranda
Senator Bruce Tarr
Representative Brian Murray
Senator Walter Timilty
Representative Tram Nguyen
Senator Dean Tran
Representative Denise Provost
Senator James Welch
Representative Maria Robinson
Representative David Rogers
Representative Lindsay Sabadosa
Representative Paul Schmid
Representative Alan Silvia
Representative Thomas Stanley
Representative Chynah Tyler
Representative Steven Ultrino
Representative Roselee Vincent
Representative Thomas Vitolo