In his State of the Commonwealth address, Governor Baker committed Massachusetts to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Then three bills touted by Senate leadership as a “next generation climate package” were released from Senate Ways and Means to be debated and voted on before month’s end. From carbon reduction goals to transit electrification and robust energy efficiency, efforts to address climate change in Massachusetts took a couple of steps forward this week. Now comes the work of turning these commitments into climate action!

But first...what is Net Zero, anyway?

Net zero refers to the practice of removing from the atmosphere as much carbon as is emitted. Climate mitigation strategies aimed at reducing GHG emissions and/or preventing them from being released, altogether, play an important role in the pursuit of net zero carbon emissions. 

Mitigation is largely the focus of our advocacy at Green Energy Consumers Alliance which is why we are constantly pushing Rhode Island and Massachusetts to ramp up energy efficiency, electrify transit and heating, and displace fossil fuel electricity generation with renewable resources. However, we work closely with others who are focused on adaptation and resilience. That is, strategies deployed in response to or to manage the effects of climate change and the ability to anticipate or recover quickly from the impacts once they hit. All have been the focus of legislative discussions this year and some combination of the three is necessary to combat climate change.

Adjusting the GWSA to Achieve Net Zero by 2050

During his address, Governor Baker noted that Massachusetts must “take more decisive action” on climate change. He then went on to commit to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This commitment is significant because scientific consensus has shifted since the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) was first enacted in 2008. Today, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated definitively that in addition to mitigating climate change in the near term, global emissions must be at net zero by 2050.

Only a handful of countries, globally, have committed to net zero by 2050. The US is NOT among them, but a few states have made this commitment, too: California, Hawaii, and New York. 

Obviously on its own, the Baker Administration’s statement in favor of meeting net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is not enough to claim climate victory, but it does bolster legislative efforts formally underway to adjust the long-term GHG reduction mandate established by the GWSA. 

Vehicles, energy efficiency, and GHGs: “Next generation climate policy” in three bills.

Now comes the work of translating goals announced in the state of the state into real policy and legislative action. Setting Massachusetts’ long term GHG emission reduction target to be consistent with current scientific consensus is the first of several necessary steps. Complying requires that we set and meet stringent GHG emission reduction targets in the interim years, ramp up energy efficiency, advance highly efficient building codes and standards, accelerate electrification of vehicles and heating, phase out fossil fuels, and rapidly deploy renewable energy resources. 

Many climate and energy bills filed this session attempt to tackle one or more of these challenges, but the much-anticipated package of bills released this week by the Massachusetts Senate Committee on Ways and Means is now front and center.

The bills are not perfect, but they do detail specific actions designed to combat climate change in the immediate term and to set Massachusetts on a course of steady progress towards long term climate requirements.

S.2476, An Act to accelerate the transition of cars, trucks and buses to carbon-free power, promotes vehicle electrification, most notably by requiring that transit buses purchased in 2030 or beyond be all-electric. The bill also codifies a state-administered consumer rebate program for EVs and mandates EV-ready building codes for new construction. This is something the Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) had previously failed to address.  

In addition to setting an economy-wide limit for net zero carbon emissions by 2050 highlights of  S.2477, An act setting next generation climate policy include setting stringent targets for 2030 (at least 50% below 1990) and 2040 (at least 75% below 1990). The bill also requires GHG reduction limits be established for every five years, authorizes future administrations to put a price on carbon, incorporates climate change impacts into the mission of the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), and seeks to better value/capture all the climate benefits of energy efficiency through the programs administered via MassSave.

S.2478, An Act relative to Energy Savings Efficiency (Energy SAVE), updates long overdue state water and energy efficiency standards for 17 common household and commercial products. Several states have already updated their standards, including Vermont, Washington, Hawaii, and Colorado. Updates are especially timely because despite their money-saving, emissions-reducing capabilities, appliance standards - specifically lighting standards - have been in the cross-hairs of the Trump administration. This bill safeguards against attempts at the Federal level to roll back efficiency. A similar bill unanimously passed the House in 2018, but was excluded from the final energy bill enacted that year. This has been a policy priority for Green Energy Consumers Alliance in Massachusetts and Rhode Island since 2016, so we are especially pleased that the bill has been included as part of a comprehensive, next generation climate package.