Governor Baker signed an executive order creating what the administration is calling an integrated climate change strategy for the Commonwealth. The strategy will help the state reduce climate-disrupting pollution 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050, bringing it toward compliance with the Global Warming Solutions Act’s legal requirements.
A recent Supreme Judicial Court decision found that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is currently not on a path to fulfill the goals of the Global Warming Solutions Act and ordered the agency to “promulgate regulations that address multiple sources or categories of sources of emissions, impose a limit on emissions that may be released … and set limits that decline on an annual basis.”
In response, Emily Norton, Massachusetts Chapter Director, and Cathy Buckley, Chair of the Sierra Club in Massachusetts, issued the following statements:
“With this order, Governor Baker is demonstrating real climate leadership. He is making it clear that his Administration is serious about reducing carbon pollution and will strive to avoid the worst impacts of climate disruption throughout the Commonwealth,” Norton said. “Following on the administration’s support for more clean energy and stronger limits on pollution from power plants through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, this order will start the Commonwealth on a path to healthier families, increased jobs, and a cleaner environment through investments in electric vehicles, better transit options, and more resilient communities.”
“We are particularly encouraged that Governor Baker has included each of our Commonwealth’s 351 municipalities in his executive order and that his agencies will provide guidance in helping our communities prepare for climate change.” Buckley said. “We further appreciate that the executive order highlights the need to fix our old, leaking gas pipelines and hope Governor Baker will help end the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to push new pipelines. It is simply not possible to achieve our greenhouse-gas-reduction goals if we continue to build new fossil-fuel infrastructure.”
Enviroshop is maintained by dedicated NetSys Interactive Inc. owners & employees who generously contribute their time to maintenance & editing, web design, custom programming, & website hosting for Enviroshop.