Support Environmental Justice in the House Climate Bill
The House will be voting today on its climate omnibus bill (H.4876), which addresses the difficulties of connecting local clean energy projects to the grid.
Take a few minutes to write to your state rep in support of Mass Power Forward priority amendments:
Amendment #17 Protecting consumers and communities from new, large gas pipeline expansions (Williams), which would end Energy Facilities Siting Board approval of new, large, polluting gas pipeline expansions which, if constructed, will adversely affect ratepayers, the health and safety of Massachusetts residents, and the climate.
Amendment #15 Improving Air Quality in Environmental Justice Communities (Barber), which would create a technical advisory committee for air quality and direct the Department of Environmental Protection to identify at least 8 pollution hot spots, install air monitors there, and provide recommendations for how to reduce air pollution there by 50% by 2030.
You can also include the following amendments supported by Mass Power Forward:
Amendment #79 Limiting Biomass in the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (Ramos, Orlando), which would exclude woody biomass fuels or generating facilities from the Alternative Portfolio Standard.
Amendment #81 Updating MLP Clean Energy Standards (Ramos, Orlando), which would remove biomass from the MLP (Municipal Light Plant) Greenhouse Gas Emission Standard.
Amendments #105 Massport Enabling Act Improvements (Cataldo) & and #3 Modernizing the Massport Charter (Gentile), which would update the 1956 Massport charter and bring it into alignment with state climate goals and policies, and require Massport decision-making and activities to reflect these priorities. Without these provisions, Massport will continue to operate on the outdated assumption that aviation can grow endlessly, regardless of the climate crisis.
Amendment #87 Nuclear Power Generation (Sabadosa), which would remove nuclear power from clean energy definition.
Amendment #42 Ensuring Clean Heat Alternatives (Owens), which would curtail gas system expansion into new territories.
Amendment #21 Ratepayer Protections (Moran), which would ban third-party electric suppliers from signing contracts with residential customers.
Amendment #106 106 Solar on Disturbed and Built Lands (Sabadosa), which would create the needed incentives via market drivers to build solar panels on buildings and disturbed sites such as parking lot canopies, brownfields, and roadway cuts and removes existing caps and limits so that such projects continue to be built year after year.
Amendment #100 Community Standards on Clean Energy Projects (Decker), which would require labor standards (prevailing wage, apprenticeship utilization, plans for labor harmony) in the procurement/solicitation of clean energy.
Amendment #94 Municipal Permit Timing Safety Valve (Saunders), which would give extra time to municipalities under the consolidated permit.
Amendment #96 Local Option Consolidated Permitting Process (Saunders), which would make consolidated permitting an opt-in for municipalities (not a mandate).
