Lydia Churchill
Former Clean Energy Associate, Environment Massachusetts
Former Clean Energy Associate, Environment Massachusetts
BOSTON – Following an unprecedented order made by the Department of Public Utilities to transition Massachusetts off of natural gas, over 30 leading environment, civic, and public health groups urged the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy to pass the bill committing the state to 100% clean energy.
The 100% Clean Act (H.3689), filed by state Reps. Marjorie Decker and Sean Garballey, would power Massachusetts with 100% clean electricity by 2035, and transition heating and transportation to 100% clean energy by 2045. The bill would also take steps to ensure the equitable deployment of clean energy resources.
“We can power our lives without polluting our air and water, harming our health, or changing our climate,” said Lydia Churchill, Clean Energy Campaign Associate with Environment Massachusetts. “The DPU’s ruling is a significant step forward, but we want to get to the finish line. People in Massachusetts deserve a future powered by 100% clean energy, and the 100% Clean Act will get us there.”
The letter to the Committee outlines the need for Massachusetts to transition off fossil fuels to prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis, protect public health, and strengthen the resilience of communities.
“The 100% Clean Act bill is a crucial step forward in ensuring a healthier, safer and more just future for Massachusetts,” said Paula García, a senior energy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “The bill will offer significant benefits to residents and can help ensure the state’s energy system is aligned with what science says is needed to reach critical climate goals. A recent analysis by UCS and GreenRoots shows that meeting 100% of Massachusetts’ electricity needs with renewable energy by 2035 would guarantee more than $1.7 billion in health savings and create more than 45,000 additional jobs.”
In late November, Michigan became the twelfth state to make a commitment to 100% clean energy. In Massachusetts, the 100% Clean Act is pending before the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy, which had its hearing for the bill in July.
Groups signing on include Environment Massachusetts, Union of Concerned Scientists, Vote Solar, MASSPIRG, MASSPIRG Students, Community Action Works, Climate Reality Project (Massachusetts Southcoast Chapter, and Boston Metro Chapter), Commonwealth Green Low-Income Housing Coalition, Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light, Inc., Northeast Clean Energy Council, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Green Energy Consumers Alliance, FCCPR Climate Task Force, Sustainable Marblehead, Jewish Climate Action Network, HealthLink, Sierra Club Massachusetts, Falmouth Climate Action Network, Partnership for Policy Integrity, Sustainable Wellesley, No Fracked Gas in Mass, Longmeadow Pipeline Awareness Group, Breathe Easy Berkshires, Canton Residents for a Sustainable Equitable Future, South Coast Neighbors United, Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility, Salem Alliance for the Environment, RESTORE: The North Woods, the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, and 350 Mass.