March 28, 2023 • SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER!
Tell Your Legislators, Support These Important New Bills!

With a new two-year legislative session getting underway, a slew of new bills have been proposed.

Everyone in Massachusetts has a State Representative and a State Senator who represent them, and telling them to get behind climate and energy-positive legislation is a great way to build momentum for good bills to be passed.
It’s Time to Restructure MassSave!
Energy efficiency is crucial to cutting climate-destroying emissions by reducing demand for gas & electricity. Newly proposed bills could be a game-changer.

Common problems with MassSave, like trouble getting an audit scheduled, finding a participating contractor, finding information on energy efficiency incentives, getting the rebates you’re owed and understanding interconnected agency processes for lower income customers, stem largely from the unwieldy, decentralized structure of the MassSave program.

Right now, the MassSave incentives and programs are designed and run by the various utility companies across the state. Entrusting our energy efficiency performance to the very for-profit companies that sell us the energy we’re hoping to conserve is a conflict of interests at best.

Two bills currently proposed in the Mass State Legislature - one proposed in the Senate and one in the House - call on wholesale restructuring of the MassSave program, taking it out of the hands for the utility companies and putting it under the control of a Board of diverse stakeholders. The Board would elect an Executive Director to manage the program, putting a central office in control.

» Please use this email tool to call on your Massachusetts State Legislators to co-sponsor the bills.

» If you’ve had experience with MassSave, we’d like you to share any details on how it went and if anything went wrong.
Remove Wood Burning from Qualification Under other Massachusetts Clean Energy Programs

Two new bills sponsored by Senator Adam Gomez and Representative Orlando Ramos need your support to remove wood burning from qualification under other Massachusetts clean energy programs:

S.2137/H.3211 would make large and intermediate-sized heating units that use wood-based fuel (such as wood boilers and furnaces) ineligible for subsidies through Massachusetts’ Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (APS).
S.2136/H.3210 would remove biomass from the list of “non-carbon emitting sources” that municipal lighting plants (MLPs) can use to meet the new MLP greenhouse gas emission standard (GGES).
Please contact your legislators today and ask them to co-sponsor S.2137/H.3211 and S.2136/H.3210. The list of co-sponsors will be updated here.
From Mass Climate Action Network

Zero Carbon Renovation Fund

The Zero Carbon Renovation Fund is a bold proposal to allocate $300 million from the remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to establish a Zero Carbon Renovation Fund that will jumpstart the market for zero carbon renovations in existing buildings in Massachusetts. The ZCRF will advance equitable building decarbonization by prioritizing affordable housing, public housing, low- and moderate-income homes, schools, BIPOC and women businesses, and buildings located in Environmental Justice communities.


Be sure to personalize your message so that they know why this is so important to you!
Speak Up Against the New Eversource Pipeline in Springfield and Longmeadow

Gas Is in the Past Petition

From Mass Power Forward/Springfield Climate Justice Coalition

10k Petition Drive to call on Governor Healey to declare no future for gas by Earth Day!
Expanding the gas system is dangerous, expensive and bad for the climate.

Sign this petition to Governor Healey to declare no future for gas by Earth Day.

Petition Toolkit: https://bit.ly/3yWreP9

BEAT is Hiring!

Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) is seeking a collaborative, responsive, and effective strategic thinker for Deputy Director.

This is a leadership position with tremendous responsibility within our organization.

For even more environmental news, info, and events, check out the latest newsletters from our colleagues at Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT)!