Global Warming Oversight Hearing to Evaluate State Response to Climate Change

Climate and Clean Energy Leaders Call for Urgent Action to Ensure Massachusetts’ 2020 Emissions Target is Met

CONTACT:
Karen Wood, CLF (617) 850-1722
Eugenia Gibbons, ELM (617) 742-2553

BOSTON  April 22, 2013 –  Five years after Massachusetts adopted a nation-leading law addressing the central causes and impacts of climate change, the Commonwealth has made progress in key areas but needs to significantly step up the pace of implementation in order to meet its goals. At a hearing to be held this afternoon before the Massachusetts Legislature’s Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, representatives from the environmental, business and science communities are expected to urge the Commonwealth to redouble efforts to promote clean energy, reduce energy waste, support lower-carbon transportation options, and curb dependence on outdated carbon-intensive facilities in order to meet the Global Warming Solutions Act’s (GWSA) target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 25% below 1990 levels by 2020.

Today’s hearing will take place from 1-3 pm in Hearing Room A-1 at the Massachusetts State House.  Senior Patrick Administration officials from the Energy & Environmental Affairs, Transportation and Housing & Economic Development Secretariats all have been invited to testify, in addition to representatives from the business, environmental and scientific communities.

“There’s no question that Massachusetts is making strides in reducing dependence on dirty fossil fuel imports, promoting energy savings and increasing clean energy jobs and investment,” noted Sue Reid, Director of Conservation Law Foundation’s Massachusetts Office. “However, the Commonwealth has failed to adopt important, mandatory regulations and protocols that would ratchet down emissions from power plants, transportation fuels and other carbon-intensive energy uses. As a result, Massachusetts is leaving substantial clean energy opportunities on the table and is at risk of missing its carbon targets unless swift action is taken.”

One year ago, an independent study spearheaded by MassINC, titled “Rising to the Challenge: Assessing the Massachusetts Response to Climate Change,” found that, while Massachusetts was making progress in some areas of GWSA implementation, it was sorely lagging in others. Since then, the Patrick Administration has taken action consistent with some of the study’s recommendations, including through the creation of a GWSA Implementation Advisory Committee and the development of a greenhouse gas “Dashboard” that will allow for high-level tracking of progress and gaps.

“As reflected in repeated poll results, the Massachusetts public is supportive of efforts to tackle the urgent issue of climate change,” noted Eugenia Gibbons, Program Director at the Environmental League of Massachusetts. “The Patrick Administration has identified many innovative greenhouse gas reduction strategies that will strengthen our economy. The state has worked collaboratively with businesses and environmentalists to develop more transparent reporting, including the release today of a dashboard. That said, we have a ways to go. Today we are about 40% of the way to our collective target. With barely seven years to 2020, we must quicken the pace and work diligently for robust implementation of programs and policies needed to achieve a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels.”

Although federal climate policy has been stymied in recent years amid partisan rancor on Capitol Hill, states from Connecticut to California have adopted climate change mandates similar to the Massachusetts GWSA.  “While Massachusetts is making good progress in reducing GHG emissions, we need to take account of policies in states with which we compete for clean energy leadership,” noted Berl Hartman, a Director of the New England Chapter of Environmental Entrepreneurs. “For example, California is aligning every aspect of its state policy and regulations to ensure that global warming goals are met. Massachusetts can and should follow suit.”

“The appetite for action on climate change is clear from the tremendous strides being taken on the local level; over 110 communities have made the effort to become ‘Green Communities’ and require higher standards of construction and encourage renewable energy,” remarked Rob Garrity, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network. “Continued progress by State Government is critical to assure that the state is doing their part to fulfill the promise and requirements of the Global Warming Solutions Act.”

In October 2012, for the second time in two years, Massachusetts was recognized by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for having the nation’s strongest programs for reducing energy waste.  Yet programs to promote more efficient use of natural gas for home heating are lagging behind the GWSA’s targets, and natural gas leaking from aging pipelines is undermining the benefits of these programs.

“The energy efficiency advances in Massachusetts are impressive, and we can see this playing out in diverse neighborhoods across the Commonwealth,” said Cindy Luppi, New England Director for Clean Water Action. “We need to apply that same determination to the full suite of climate problems on the table, however, including addressing the natural gas leaks that plague our aging infrastructure.”

“The state’s energy efficiency programs save energy at a much lower cost than buying supply. This is economic justification for expanding the programs in order to reduce emissions by the amount we need,” said Larry Chretien, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance.

 

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