Senator Brownsberger recently submitted the following testimony on S.1748, An Act requiring the timely adoption of greenhouse gas emission limits for the year 2030:
TO: Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy
FROM: Senator William N. Brownsberger
RE: S.1748, An Act requiring the timely adoption of greenhouse gas emission limits for the year 2030
DATE: October 26, 2015
I am writing in support of S.1748, An Act requiring the timely adoption of greenhouse gas emission limits for the year 2030.
The Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) requires that the state cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 10% to 25% below 1990 levels by 2020, with the specific cut chosen through development of a plan that shows what percent is feasible. The GWSA also requires that emissions be cut 80% by 2050.
The GWSA further requires that emission limits be set for 2030 and 2040 but does not give a deadline for setting these limits or creating a plan to reach them. This is a significant omission in the GWSA. To get to the 80% reduction requires long-term planning. Creating 2030 and 2040 targets would push the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, to begin planning for fundamental changes to our energy systems. It would also help the state to avoid short-term policies that may help us reach the 2020 target cheaply but make it harder to get to the deeper reductions needed later.
This bill would amend the GWSA to require that the state adopt an emissions limit for 2030 and a plan for reaching that limit by January 1, 2017. The Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs would to set the emissions limit to be between 35% and 60% below the 1990 level.
As a step forward to reach the targets set forth by the GWSA, I hope the committee will report S.1748 favorably.
You can view an original copy of the testimony here.
Andrew Bettinelli
Legislative Aide
Office of State Senator William N. Brownsberger
Thank you for supporting this bill. Long-term planning makes sense since so much of the greenhouse gas emissions come from long-term infrastructure projects.