As the new home of MASSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Massachusetts can be contacted regarding this news release.
Legislature Fails to Act on Late-Filed Bill
BOSTON—Yesterday
evening, during the last formal legislative session of the year, six
more state Representatives endorsed the Global Warming Bill, S.B. 2516.
That puts the total number of supporters at 84 in the House and 27 in
the Senate—a majority in each chamber.
Despite
majority support for the bill, however, the Massachusetts legislature
failed to take up the Global Warming Bill during the 2006 session. The
Global Warming Bill would have mandated that Massachusetts join the
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which has already been
endorsed by eight other Northeastern states (VT, CT, NY, MD, ME, NH,
NJ, DE). RGGI is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the
Northeast by capping emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants in
2009, with a mandate for subsequent reductions.
RGGI
has widespread support, including from four Democratic governors (ME,
NJ, NH, DE) and four Republican governors (VT, CT, NY, MD). “It is
embarrassing that Massachusetts is not a part of this plan and that the
state legislature failed to take up this issue during this session,”
said Frank Gorke, Energy Advocate with MASSPIRG. “Global warming is a
serious public health threat, and Massachusetts must act now to reduce
its impact by limiting global warming pollution from power plants.”
The
bill, filed by Senator Pamela Resor and Representative Frank Smizik,
passed the Joint Committee on the Environment but died in a procedural
committee in the Senate and was never taken up for a vote. It was
opposed by Dominion, the owner of the two biggest coal plants in the
state in Salem and Somerset, and by the Associated Industries of
Massachusetts.
Last
year was the warmest year ever recorded, and scientists say that the
early effects of global warming are already appearing. In the future,
in addition to rising sea levels, scientists are predicting species
extinctions, spreading diseases, ecosystem disruptions, as well as more
severe weather and extreme storms. The Bay State already loses 65 acres
of coastal land every year due to rising sea levels. In order to avoid
the worst of these consequences, scientists believe that we must reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 75-85% by the middle of the 21st century.
The
regional pact will reduce global warming pollution in the Northeast by
capping emissions of power plant greenhouse gas pollution in 2009, with
a mandate for a 10% reduction by 2018. The initiative has the potential
to serve as a model for other states that wish to pursue reductions in
their greenhouse gas emissions, but it final details are currently
being shaped by other states, without participation from Massachusetts
officials.
“Membership
in RGGI is crucial to reducing global warming pollution in
Massachusetts,” added Gorke. “Scientists are saying we have been too
slow to respond to this problem. The region’s best energy minds spent
three years developing this program, and if eight other states can see
their way to join, so should Massachusetts.”
