So excited to hear that MA has it’s own legislative policies on Clean Energy. Went to this amazing meeting organized by Mass Sierra Club and felt uplifted!
Emily Norton, the MA Director created this amazing powerpoint highlighting what most of us agree on that Climate Change is here and how our environment is in dire need of help. Between floods, fires, oceans warming and the high levels of CO2 – it’s amazing we can continue business as usual…esp. with our new administration wanting to bring coal back and increase tariffs on solar energy. (what’s going on???) It’s this perpetual news everyday that has been bringing me to question values of being a citizen and saying “Is this for Real???” Yep, unfortunately our current administration has hired Scott Pruitt and others as EPA heads who are working on rolling back “Clean Water Act”, “Clean Air Act”, getting out of the Paris Accord..and so many more detrimental projects. Why was Pruitt suing the EPA 14 times when he was a lobbyist before being hired for the job? How is bringing coal back to our country going to reduce our CO2 footprint???
Here is Emily Norton’s powerpoint
I was hopeful to learn that Massachusetts has been coal free for a year and we have our own laws that govern how we implement clean energy & move towards a sustainable future! It’s called RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard). However, MA is currently planning on increasing wind/solar/natural gas/etc at about only about 1%. The meeting highlighted the extra jobs that would be created, the energy cost savings, and emission reduction if we increase RPS to 3%. Our current projection for MA(at 1%) puts us at 25% MPS for 2030. NY RPS goals for 2030 is currently at 50% , CA is at 50% – we are very behind with our 25% goals.
Learn more on why RPS works:
https://www.sierraclub.org/massachusetts/rps-resources
The best part of the day, is that we can make change happen on a local level!!!!
This February 2018, local reps will be meeting at the State House to vote on the issue. This RPS 190 H270 Bill https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H2700 can make a difference – ask your local rep to bring it up at the State building on your behalf.
I emailed my rep. Sean Garballey and met for Coffee to talk about increasing PRS too 3%. It was amazing to meet with him and find out that he was on board with this idea! That he would hand my letter to Rep. Thomas Golden, the House chairman of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (who decides to bring Bills up or not). Cool!
Here is my emailed letter to my Rep:
Nedret Andre
The RPS bill has been referred to the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy (TUE). Please contact your state legislator and ask them to tell Tom Golden, the House Committee Chair, to report out a version of the bill that includes the 3% increase.