Action alert for July 14th-15th: Save the Climate Bill!

With time running out for this legislative session we need to push the Conference Committee to pass a climate bill! With the recent Supreme Court ruling that diminishes EPA’s authority to act on harmful greenhouse emissions, it is even more important that the Massachusetts Legislature pass bold climate legislation. 

We encourage everyone to flood the State House with calls and messages about top priorities for a climate bill this week.  We are urging the conference committee to include Climate Action Now’s top four priorities in the climate bill.  

Remove subsidies for burning woody biomass from all of Massachusetts’ renewable energy programs

Include offshore wind development and grid modernization–essential to bringing wind power on shore

Starting with the demonstration project for ten communities, require all electric construction in new buildings and large renovations

Include the requirement that DOER (Department of Energy Resources) develop new guidance on siting of solar projects

We cannot wait another two years for a climate bill!

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Send an email message to Senate President (Karen Spilka), Speaker of the House (Ron Mariano), Senate Chair of the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE) Committee (Mike Barrett), and House Chair of the TUE Committee (Jeffrey Roy)

Karen Spilka, Senate President                  (617) 722-1500                    karen.spilka@masenate.gov

Ron Mariano, Speaker of the House         (617) 722-2500                  ronald.mariano@mahouse.gov

Mike Barrett, Senate Chair, TUE                (617) 722-1572                   mike.barrett@masenate.gov

Jeffrey Roy, House Chair TUE                   (617) 722-2030                    jeffrey.roy@mahouse.go

SUGGESTED EMAIL MESSAGE – PLEASE SEND JULY 12TH-14TH

My name is ________, I am a member of Climate Action Now, and I am writing about the climate bill negotiations. I do appreciate the hard work of the Conference Committee to try and resolve the significant differences between the House and Senate bills.  Thank you for that work and please keep working! We cannot allow the legislative session to end without our lawmakers passing another robust climate bill. In addition, after the recent Supreme Court decision that decreases EPA’s authority to regulate harmful greenhouse gas emissions, it is even more important that the legislature pass a strong climate bill now. 

I ask that the final climate bill include these priorities: 

              • Remove subsidies for burning woody biomass from all of Massachusetts’ renewable energy programs

              • Include offshore wind development and grid modernization–essential to bringing wind power on shore

              • Starting with the demonstration project for ten communities, require all electric construction in new buildings and large renovations

              • Include the requirement that DOER develop new guidance on siting of solar projects

Thank you. 

Your Name, Your Town

Cc:  your MA House Rep and State Senator 

Send a copy to your MA House Rep and your State Senator.

– PLEASE FOLLOW YOUR EMAIL MESSAGES WITH TELEPHONE CALLS (to the offices of Spilka, Mariano, Barrett and Roy).  

Call Script

My name is ________ and I am calling about the climate bill negotiations. I am following up on an email message that I just sent that identifies Climate Action Now’s top priorities for the climate bill. I want to thank the conference committee members for their hard work.

Let’s not give up now.  Please do all you can to ensure that a strong climate bill is passed. Because the Supreme Court has cut back on EPA’s authority to regulate harmful greenhouse gas emissions, it is even more important that the legislature pass a strong climate bill now.  

We need: 

* More clean energy, including wind and solar

* Large amounts of new offshore wind tied to a modernized grid to transport that energy to our electric grid

* Towns to be given the authorization to require all-electric construction, and

* Removal of all subsidies for burning woody biomass.