Energy + Environment Archives - Page 2 of 5

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren Visits Hull to Discuss Climate Change, See Pump Station

(BOSTON) - This week, State Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and local officials for a roundtable discussion focusing primarily on the impacts of climate change in Hull. The roundtable discussion was attended by State Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth); Phil Lemnios, Town Manager; Jen Constable, Chair of the Board of Selectmen; John Reilly, Member of the Board of Selectmen; Nathaniel Peyton, Chair of the Planning Board; Paul Paquin, Chair of the Conservation Commission; Chris Krahforst, Conservation Administrator; Brian Kiley, Assistant of Wastewater Operations; Judy Kuehn, Superintendent of Schools; and Mike McGurl, Executive Director of the Hull Lifesaving Museum. Though updates on programming at the Lifesaving Museum and in Hull’s schools were shared by Mike McGurl and Judy Kuehn, most of the conversation centered around climate change. The town’s efforts to repair seawalls, prepare for and mitigate storm damage, and manage increasingly interconnected water and sewer . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2022-04-22T14:15:36-04:00April 22nd, 2022|Energy + Environment, Transportation + Infrastructure|

Massachusetts House of Representatives Passes Groundbreaking Offshore Wind Legislation

(BOSTON) - Today, Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined her colleagues in the House of Representatives in a vote to pass H.4515, An Act advancing offshore wind and clean energy, which makes historic investments in and establishes incentives for increased offshore wind development in the Commonwealth. The legislation would establish a $50 million tax incentive program for capital investments and employment in the wind sector, fund wind technology and innovation through utility bill surcharges, create new environmental and fishing industry-related requirements for offshore wind projects, and institute important cost containment safeguards for the wind energy bidding process. In addition, the legislation directs electric utilities to develop grid modernization plans and submit them for review, and the bill calls for a study conducted by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to examine the viability of a solicitation for energy storage installations. The bill also . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2022-03-03T18:02:11-05:00March 3rd, 2022|Energy + Environment|

Following Joint Rule 10 Deadline, Representative Meschino’s Bills Receive Favorable Reports and Extensions

(BOSTON) - State Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) will continue to pursue a robust legislative agenda following her successes after the recent Joint Rule 10 deadline, in which most Joint Committees must issue their recommendations for the next steps of bills under their review. Four bills filed by Representative Meschino received favorable reports and will continue to move forward in the legislative process. Highlighting these successes is the Joint Committee on Housing’s favorable report of H.3838, An Act to create and implement a Massachusetts Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool Program to address the medically complex needs of disabled men, women, and children experiencing homelessness. This legislation will braid public and private funding to meet the needs of homeless individuals, families, and unaccompanied youth across the continuum of care. Two of Representative Meschino’s bills before the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities also received favorable reports. An Act to provide notice to counsel of changes in . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2022-02-15T14:30:51-05:00February 15th, 2022|Energy + Environment, Housing, Transportation + Infrastructure|

Massachusetts House of Representatives Passes ARPA Spending Bill

(BOSTON) - At the end of October, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed legislation, An Act relative to immediate COVID-19 recovery needs (H.4219,) that allocates federal funding granted to the Commonwealth for COVID-19 relief from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and surplus tax dollars from fiscal year 2021. Funded at $3.82 billion, the bill aims to close gaps exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraging recovery through one-time investments in housing, environment and climate mitigation, economic development, workforce, health and human services, and education. After the original $3.65 billion bill was released, more than 1,100 amendments were filed by legislators, and ultimately four consolidated amendments were added to the legislation. The House bill includes $500 million to replenish the Unemployment Trust Fund which will offset businesses’ contributions for unemployment programs. The bill also includes $200 million worth of tax relief for small businesses that paid personal income taxes on . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-11-10T17:46:13-05:00November 10th, 2021|Budget and Grants, Energy + Environment, Public Health, Seniors + Veterans, Transportation + Infrastructure|

Representative Meschino’s Priority Legislation Receives Key Endorsements

(BOSTON) – This summer, Representative Meschino’s (D-Hull) priority bills have received endorsements from influential caucuses and advocates. Representative Meschino’s top priority piece of legislation, An Act to create access to justice (H. 1792), was endorsed by the Massachusetts Bar Association’s House of Delegates on May 19th. This legislation would empower an individual to seek redress against discrimination by government policies; it would restore the right of an individual to bring a claim in state court when a government policy creates disparate impact, an unintended discriminatory effect on individuals of a protected class. The bill would provide access to justice for numerous constituencies, including people seeking to enforce environmental justice, language access, fair housing, equitable healthcare, and access to high-quality education. “The Massachusetts Bar Association is pleased to proactively partner with members of the legislature to create a more level playing field for victims of discrimination,” said Martin W. Healy, . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-08-23T16:35:35-04:00August 20th, 2021|Energy + Environment, Other Topics, Public Health|

Representative Meschino Reacts to Recent IPCC Report

(BOSTON) - Today’s report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change underscores the need for urgent action to combat the climate crisis. The report, authored by 234 leading scientists from more than 60 countries, documents that the world has quickly warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels and is moving rapidly toward the 1.5 degree threshold, a limit decided upon by scientists that could avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Without large-scale reductions in emissions, the report finds, limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or even 2°C will not be possible. The report presents five scenarios demonstrating the paths our planet could take in response to the climate crisis, all of which see the globe warming at least 1.5º Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Only one - the lowest emission scenario in which emissions decrease to net zero by 2050 - sees the planet’s warming eventually move below . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-08-10T08:59:18-04:00August 9th, 2021|Energy + Environment|

Part of Broader Push to Electrify Transportation Sector, Representative Meschino’s Bills Promoting Transition to Electric Vehicles Receive Support at Hearing

(BOSTON) – At a hearing held today by the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined colleagues and advocates to support her legislation promoting the electrification of fleets and vehicles. Efforts to advance a transition to electric vehicles in statute are part of a broader trend that recognizes the pressing need to decarbonize the transportation sector, both within and beyond the United States. Massachusetts and California have already indicated commitments to have all new cars sold in each state be electric by 2035. The United Kingdom and Norway have made similar commitments, making plans for car sales to be zero-emission by 2035 and 2025, respectively. Automakers have also recognized the significance and urgency inherent in the transition, with Volvo planning to go fully electric by 2030, Honda setting a goal of all electric vehicles by 2040, and General Motors aspiring to zero emissions in . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-07-28T16:29:51-04:00July 28th, 2021|Energy + Environment|

Representative Meschino Leads National Briefing on Environmental Justice, State Climate Action

(BOSTON) — Today Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) led a special briefing of over 150 state lawmakers from across the country, focusing on Massachusetts’ progress in establishing climate change goals and promoting environmental justice. “It's important to take the next step on environmental justice, both in Massachusetts and beyond,” said Representative Joan Meschino. “We must ensure that all overburdened and underserved communities have real access to justice.” The event was organized by the State Climate Policy Network (SCPN), a project of Climate XChange that includes more than 15,000 advocates and policymakers across the country who are pushing for effective and equitable climate policies in their states. Climate XChange is a Boston-based nonprofit working to support state-level climate action through research, communication, and education “Given Representative Meschino’s history of passing climate legislation in Massachusetts, and her focus on environmental justice this session, she’s definitely a national leader on climate policy,” said . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-06-22T16:09:46-04:00June 22nd, 2021|Energy + Environment|

Representative Meschino Outlines Her Energy and Environment Legislation for the 192nd Session

(BOSTON) - Current and future efforts in Massachusetts to move to net-zero emissions are set forth in the House vehicle for major climate legislation from last session, State Representative Joan Meschino’s (D-Hull) “2050 Roadmap” Bill, which was enacted in law as S. 9 An Act creating a Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy. Provisions in the 2050 Roadmap update the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, set strong interim targets, and establish comprehensive and iterative planning mechanisms focused on equity to enable the Commonwealth to achieve this ambitious goal. Building upon last session’s legislation, Representative Meschino has filed eight bills related to energy and the environment in the 192nd Session. “I filed the 2050 Roadmap to align the Massachusetts economy with the pressing urgency of the climate science,” said Representative Meschino. “The bills I filed this session advance key provisions of the . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-05-24T22:03:39-04:00May 24th, 2021|Energy + Environment|

Hull Offered Nearly $26 Million in Low-Interest Loans to Fund Clean Water Infrastructure Projects

BOSTON, MA – The Baker-Polito Administration recently announced that 113 projects, impacting communities across the Commonwealth, are eligible to receive approximately $819 million in low-interest-rate loans and grants to: fund construction, planning and asset management projects designed to improve water quality; upgrade or replace aging drinking water; and wastewater infrastructure and cut treatment plant energy use and costs. As part of the announcement, the Town of Hull was offered a total of $25,747,500 in low-interest loans to fund three separate water infrastructure projects. The Town must decide if they would like to move forward with the projects by June 30, 2021, and secure local funding authority. “The state funds being administered throughout the Commonwealth will allow our cities and towns to make significant investments in their clean water infrastructure,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “Maintaining this infrastructure is vital to ensuring public health and it’s great to have Hull be offered . . . Read More

Joan Meschino2021-04-30T15:27:19-04:00April 23rd, 2021|Budget and Grants, Energy + Environment|