Context from Mass Power Forward:

For climate and environmental justice, we need strong policies from the Massachusetts statehouse. For a year and a half, we have advocated for our priorities. On Monday, the Senate released their package of policy. Our Champions are filing amendments to make this bill even better- join us in taking action by contacting your Senator to co-sponsor these amendments. We only have about a day to get their attention, and that day is a holiday (Happy Juneteenth!).

The Amendments Mass Power Forward Support and Prioritize

Find the full text of any amendment by clicking on the number here.

PRIORITY

• #116 Accurately Assessing Community Impacts (DiDomenico), which would strike a clause from the definition of cumulative impact analyses that would limit the analysis to only assessing the risks and exposures attributable to the proposed new pollution source (thus making it NOT a cumulative assessment).

• #100 Improving Outdoor Air Quality (Jehlen), which would create a technical advisory committee for air quality, direct the DEP to identify at least 8 pollution hot spots, install air monitors, and reduce the air pollution by 50% by 2030.

• #14 Protecting the Commonwealth from Gas Expansion (Gomez), which would halt large gas infrastructure expansion projects from being approved by the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB).

• #15 Halting the Expansion of Large Gas Pipes (Gomez), which would stop the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) from approving gas companies to expand into new towns & cities not already served by gas.

• #16 Protecting the Climate and Ratepayers from Gas Expansion (Gomez), which would halt both large gas infrastructure expansions approvals by the EFSB (Amendment 14) and gas territory expansions by the DPU (Amendment 15).

ALSO IMPORTANT

• #31 Commuter Rail Electrification (Crighton), which would electrify multiple commuter rail lines in the MBTA.

• #34 Updating MLP Clean Energy Standards (Gomez), which would remove the designation of biomass as clean energy for Municipal Light Plant clean energy standards.

• #35 Limiting Biomass (Gomez), which would remove subsidies for burning biomass.

• #106 Stemming the Expansion of RNG and Hydrogen (Eldridge), which would stop RNG and Hydrogen as being defined as clean energy.

• #28 Zero Carbon Renovation Fund (Gomez), which would provide funding for the decarbonization measures we need across sectors to meet Massachusetts' ambitious climate goals.

• #57 Clean Energy Siting and Permitting, Local Option Amendment (Mark), which would make the consolidated permit a local option (like stretch code).

• #101 Municipal Permit Timing Safety Valve When Awaiting Response (Comerford)
  

• #118 Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (Feeney), which would allow the Mass AFL-CIO president to appoint the labor representative on the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council.

• #119 Prevailing Wage (Feeney), which would bring natural gas, electrical, and renewable energy utility workers under the Commonwealth’s prevailing wage statute to make it harder for work to be
  outsourced to low-road employers.

• #120 Labor Standards and Reporting for Clean Energy Procurement (Feeney), which would require the utilization of state-certified apprentices for the public energy projects and require labor peace agreements for all supply chain work.