MA Senate Passes Landmark Global Warming Bill: Sets Mandatory Emissions Reductions

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Colin Durrant, CLF Director of Communications
617-850-1722

Boston, MA (March 7, 2008) – The Massachusetts State Senate on Thursday passed a landmark global warming bill that sets the stage for the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say are necessary to combat climate change.

The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), a leading New England environmental group, said the comprehensive legislation includes three critical provisions:

- It requires a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2020, and an 80% reduction by 2050. Importantly, these reduction targets would apply across the board to transportation, buildings, electric generation, etc.

- A strict limit on emissions for large new power plants, and a limitation on expansions of existing power plants that would otherwise increase greenhouse gas emissions.

- A requirement that Massachusetts coordinate with New England states to develop a low carbon fuel standard to reduce emissions from the use of liquid fuels, including fuels used to run cars and trucks. The transportation sector is the largest and fastest growing source of global warming pollution in the region.

“The Senate’s landmark global warming bill sets us on a path toward a cleaner, healthier future built on renewable energy and innovation,” said Sue Reid, Director of CLF’s Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Change Initiative. “It will help eliminate our dependence on dirty fossil fuels and make Massachusetts a national leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

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The Conservation Law Foundation works to solve the environmental problems that threaten the people, natural resources and communities of New England. CLF’s advocates use law, economics and science to design and implement strategies that conserve natural resources, protect public health, and promote vital communities in our region. Founded in 1966, CLF is a nonprofit, member-supported organization. It has offices in Boston, Massachusetts; Concord, New Hampshire; Providence, Rhode Island; Montpelier, Vermont; and Brunswick, Maine.