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The Daily Item - 03/10/2008
Green groups Praise State Senate’s Global Warming Solutions act
LYNN-Environmental advocates from across the state are praising the Senate this week after it voted to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act, making it the most recent in a string of global warming bills passed in 2008.
The legislation will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from Massachusetts by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
The bill expands the mission of all state agencies to include greenhouse gas emissions, creates a greenhouse gas registry to identify sources of emissions and calls for the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs to publish a statewide emissions reduction plan by 2009.
Keeping with the newest trends in environmentalism, the bill would also establish a fund to support green building construction, mandate market-based compliance mechanisms, establish a greenhouse gas advisory committee, and establish a climate change adaptation advisory board.
The Global Warming Solutions Act also prohibits the construction of new power plants that have an emissions rate greater than 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour, requires ultra-low sulfur diesel and diesel retrofitting on al diesel engines, establishes a low carbon fuel standard mandates an expansion of the state’s rail system and establishes a study commission on residential wind, green jobs and green buildings.
“We are very excited that the Senate passed this bill, setting us on course to solve global warming,” said Damion Cotter, Global Warming Coordinator for North Shore Community College. “With this vote the Senate has shown their commitment to making Massachusetts a leader in addressing the critical issue of our generation. We are proud of Sen. Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) and Senate President Therese Murray for being a champion of this issue-they deserve credit for the success.”
Pacheco was the legislator that originally filed the bill late last year after it passed through the Joint Committee on Agriculture the Environment and Natural Resources in November. The act will now move on to the House of Representatives where there are indicators that the body is willing to prioritize environmental concerns.
“We know that Speaker Salvatore Dimasi has been a great leader in the push to make sure that Massachusetts is using more clean, renewable energy to reduce our global warming pollution,” said Ben Wright, a global warming advocate with the Environment Massachusetts group. “This bill is the next step to ensure a safe climate for future generations in the Commonwealth.”
In addition to the Global Warming Solutions Act, the Senate has also recently passed the Green Energy Bill, Regional Greenhouse Gasses Initiative, and the Safer Alternatives Bill, which also call for drastic changes in the way the state handles the global warming crisis.
North Shore Community College recently hosted a two-day global warming teach-in to raise awareness of the many issues surrounding the global climate change. Congressman John Tierney and U.S. Sen. John Kerry spoke at the event and praised the efforts of legislatures in Massachusetts to take the first steps in addressing the global warming issue.
“With the passage of the Safer Alternatives Bill, RGGI Bill, the Green Energy Bill and now the Global Warming Solutions Act, Senate leadership have shown that they are seriously committed to the strong legislation we need to protect our air, water and open spaces for future generations,” said Wight.
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