100+ Climate Organizations: climate bill requirements

10/2024

To Governor Healey and the 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 

RE: A Robust Climate Bill

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has made a commitment to environmental justice and to meeting climate mandates in order to ensure a livable planet and a just transition for all. With this letter, the undersigned 108 organizations present elements that MUST be in a climate bill when it lands on Governor Healey’s desk before the end of 2024. 

The Legislature had been poised to take action until the unceremonious end to the 2023-24 formal legislative session on August 1. Despite this delay, there is still time in 2024 to call a special session and pass a climate bill that is broader than siting and permitting reform alone. While it is important to keep the climate bill negotiations alive, the climate-related provisions in the Governor’s supplemental budget bill, H.5049, filed September 11th are far too narrow to represent a reasonable response to the climate crisis in 2024. 

We call on Governor Healey, President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, Chair Barrett, and Chair Roy and the entire legislature to take this opportunity to meet critical environmental justice (EJ) goals and to equitably and rapidly transform the gas industry into one that meets the Commonwealth’s climate goals while keeping gas rates down. We cannot accept a narrow siting and permitting bill that does not do enough for climate justice, reducing climate pollution, or protecting ratepayers as the outcome of 18 months of the legislative process. Delays in climate action do nothing to benefit constituents and only serve to benefit those who profit from the climate crisis. A 2024 climate package must include, at minimum: 

• Siting and permit approvals tied to a robust cumulative impact analysis. The definition of cumulative impact analysis in the Governor’s H.5049 is the most accurate and complete definition introduced this session and should be the one used in a final bill that includes siting and permitting reform. We applaud its inclusion.
• Measures to end large-scale gas pipeline expansion and increase the use of non-emitting thermal networks. While the details of the transition away from gas as a heating fuel in the Commonwealth will require future work from the Healey Administration, legislators and other key stakeholders, the legislature must act immediately to ramp down the expansion of gas infrastructure and put gas companies on a path to provide clean, non-emitting renewable energy rather than fossil gas that leaks methane and air pollution into the atmosphere and into our homes and businesses, costing ratepayers significant sums of money.

These are critical components of the evolving climate bill. From a necessary expansion of the electric grid itself (crucial to bringing in the thousands of megawatts of renewable electricity we need), to ensuring that Environmental Justice populations are not overburdened, to protecting gas customers and taxpayers from the ballooning costs of maintaining an expensive, health-harming, and dangerous gas system that will soon be obsolete, our Commonwealth simply cannot afford to wait. We urge the legislature to reconvene for a formal session and demonstrate strong support for environmental justice and rapid decarbonization by passing a robust climate package.

1. 350 Central Mass
2. 350 Mass
3. 350MA Berkshire node
4. Acadia Center
5. Alternatives for Community & Environment
6. All In Energy
7. Andover WECAN
8. Arise for Social Justice
9. Berkshire Environmental Action Team
10. Beyond Plastics Greater Boston
11. Boston Catholic Climate Movement 
12. Boston Climate Action Network
13. Boston Green Action
14. Breathe Clean North Shore
15. Brookhaven Residents’ Climate Change Committee
16. Canton Residents for a Sustainable Equitable Future 
17. Cape Ann Climate Coalition Organizing Committee
18. Citizens Climate Lobby, South Shore & Cape chapter
19. Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Mass. North Shore chapter
20. Clean Water Action
21. Climate Action Group, the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence
22. Climate Action Now Western Mass
23. Climate Code Blue
24. Climate Reality Project Boston Metro chapter
25. Climate Reality Project Massachusetts Southcoast 
26. Coalition for Social Justice Education Fund 
27. Coalition to Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere
28. Concord Area Humanists
29. Concord Climate Action Network
30. Conservation Law Foundation
31. Elders Climate Action Massachusetts chapter
32. Energy Allies
33. Energy Efficient Bolton
34. Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative
35. First Parish in Bedford
36. First Parish in Cambridge, Environmental Justice Team
37. First Parish in Framingham Climate Action Team, Chair
38. First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Climate Action Working Group
39. First Parish Watertown, Green Sanctuary Committee
40. First Unitarian Universalist Society of Newton Climate Action Task Force
41. Food & Water Watch 
42. Fore River Residents Against the Compressor (FRRACS)
43. Gas Transition Allies
44. Greater Andover Indivisible
45. Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility
46. GreenRoots
47. Green Energy Consumer Alliance 
48. Green Newton
49. HEET
50. HEETlabs
51. HealthLink
52. Jewish Climate Action Network
53. Lexington Climate Action Network (LexCAN)
54. Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) Massachusetts
55. Longmeadow Pipeline Awareness Group
56. Mass Peace Action
57. Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN)
58. Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light, Inc.
59. Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church Climate Action Team
60. MetroWest Climate Solutions
61. Mothers Out Front – Arlington
62. Mothers Out Front  – East Boston
63. Mothers Out Front – Bedford Chapter
64. Mothers Out Front – Brookline Chapter
65. Mothers Out Front – Cambridge Chapter
66. Mothers Out Front – Newton
67. Mothers Out Front – Northampton
68. Mothers Out Front Massachusetts
69. No Fracked Gas in Mass
70. North American Indian Center of Boston
71. North Parish of North Andover Climate Justice Group
72. North Reading Green Alliance
73. Northshore Unitarian Universalist Church, Green Sanctuary Team
74. Our Climate
75. Our Revolution MA, Climate Crisis Working Group
76. Partnership for Policy Integrity
77. Pipe Line Awareness Network for the Northeast, inc
78. Pilgrim Watch
79. Progressive Massachusetts
80. Quincy Climate Action Network
81. Renewable Renegades 
82. Resiliency Gardens Project,  Healthy Yards, Needham- Pollinator Protectors
83. Resist the Pipeline 
84. Resonant Energy
85. Salem Alliance for the Environment
86. Sheffield Saves
87. Sierra Club Massachusetts
88. Slingshot
89. Social Action Committee of First Parish Plymouth
90. Our Revolution MA, Climate Crisis Working Group
91. South Coast Neighbors United
92. Springfield Climate Justice Coalition
93. Springfield No One Leaves/Nadie Se Mude
94. Sunwealth 
95. Sustainable Marblehead
96. Sustainable Middleborough
97. Sustainable Wellesley
98. The Enviro Show
99. Third Act MA
100. TownGreen
101. Trustees Collaborative for Parks & Open Space
102. Union of Concerned Scientists
103. Unitarian Universalist Mass Action
104. Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield 
105. Voices for Climate [V4C]
106. Vote Solar
107. Watertown Faces Climate Change (a node of 350Mass)
108. Worcester Congregations for Climate and Environmental Justice