Legislative Action Items: Omnibus Bill and H2913

Time to make some calls! We need folks to call their representatives to demand that fossil fuels are NOT included in Governor Baker's climate change bill as a "clean peak" resource. We also need folks to urge their reps to support a new Environmental Justice bill (H2913) that could strengthen Environmental Justice standards in the state. Please take a moment to call your reps to address both of these items. More details below:

Omnibus Bill / Climate Change Bill

Governor Baker recently introduced a bill to the legislature that would provide money and other resources to help mitigate the impacts of climate change, such as funding to build sea walls in coastal areas. You can read more about the bill, “An Act Promoting Climate Change Adaptation, Environmental and Natural Resource Protection, and Investment in Recreational Assets and Opportunity," here. Though mitigation is needed to combat some of the effects of climate change (i.e. rising sea levels), we can’t rely solely on band-aid fixes; we must reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to prevent climate change from worsening. That is why we are concerned about language in this bill that could be used as a way to institute a pipeline tax or otherwise allow the gas industry to say that natural, or fracked-gas, is a form of clean energy.

Action Item: Contact your representatives, senators, and Governor Baker’s office and ask that they make sure there is language in the bill to exclude gas, and all fossil fuels, as an option for clean energy. You are welcome to use this sample call script and email template.

Governor Baker’s office: (617) 725-4005; click here to send Gov. Baker an email

Find your state senators and representative here.

To access a PDF version of the call and email scripts, click here.

 

The Environmental Justice Act (House Bill 2913/ Senate Bill 426)

Details below are from Mothers Out Front:

Join us in calling key lawmakers to urge passage of the Environmental Justice Act and funding for staff positions to enforce it.California, Oregon and other states have legislated Environmental Protections and we need to do the same! This Act would codify Executive Order 552, issued under Governor Deval Patrick, and begin statewide planning around environmental Justice.

We don’t need to be experts to let our lawmakers know this is important to us. Urge them to support The Environmental Justice Act (House Bill 2913/ Senate Bill 426) and funding for staff enforcement. Here’s who to call:

YOUR REPRESENTATIVE - To find out who your Representative is, go to this link. Click on the lawmaker’s name for a phone number. If you already know your Rep’s. name, call the switchboard at 617-772-2000.

REP. JEFFREY SANCHEZ, Co-chair of Ways and Means Committee: 617-722-2990

SEN.. KAREN SPILKA, Co-chair of Ways and Means Committee: 617-722-1640.

Thank you!  Our calls can make a real difference in the health of low-income children and families.