I’ve recently received a number of emails in the form further below, urging me to cosponsor legislation filed by my colleague, Lori Ehrlich, to transition away from coal burning in Massachusetts.
I am already one of the original group of cosponsors of this legislation. Coal is a dirty fuel, contributing heavily to local and regional pollution, and is also less efficient than natural gas, yielding less energy per unit of carbon emitted. See Coal Free Mass for more information on the campaign to end coal burning in Massachusetts. Market forces are also supporting the transition.
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The world is moving toward an economy that is energy efficient and powered by clean energy sources like wind and solar. Massachusetts is already a leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy, and now we need to take the next step! As old dirty fossil fuel plants continue to retire weekly, they are being replaced by efficient clean energy sources like wind and solar. This new energy will create opportunities in the worldwide economy that Massachusetts should be ready to take advantage of.
By moving beyond coal and other dirty fossil fuels to a clean energy future, Massachusetts can be in position to be a leader in this new economy. An Act to Transition to a Clean Energy Commonwealth will do just that by retiring old dirty fossil fuel energy sources, help to retrain workers for the new clean energy economy and help transition communities that host these facilities.
I am asking you to act now and please sign-on as a cosponsor House Docket 2367, An Act to Transition to a Clean Energy Commonwealth today.
Thank you for cosponsoring this legislation.
Coal stinks. I think it’s pretty clearly worse than fracking, although maybe not as bad as tar sand.