Governor Charlie Baker has ten days to approve a landmark climate change bill.
Today, just before the end of the legislative session, the Legislature passed the bill which lays out how the state can reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The bill, known as known as An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy, could authorize a major ramp-up in offshore wind production, write environmental justice into Massachusetts law, set new targets to encourage electric vehicle adoption, and up the state’s reliance on renewable energy.
The bill also sets an interim emissions target for 2030 that is more aggressive than what the Baker administration called for last Wednesday.
The Baker administration called fora 45 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2030, but the Legislature’s climate change bill aims for a 50 percent reduction by then and 75 percent reduction by 2040.
If Baker doesn’t sign off on the bill, the action process must start all over in the next session, delaying an important part of the state’s fight against climate change.
