Energy + Environment

(BOSTON) – The Massachusetts Legislature took another important step this session towards meeting its 2030 and 2050 carbon emission reduction goals by enacting a law promoting clean energy in the Commonwealth. An Act to advance clean energy was signed into law on August 9, 2018. The new law builds on last session’s work to diversify the Commonwealth’s energy generation sources with large-scale hydropower, offshore wind, and energy storage. “Clean energy generation or ‘greening the grid’ is important to build a clean energy future for Massachusetts,” said Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull). “Developing renewable energy technology in Massachusetts is healthier and safer, and will lead to new jobs and other economic opportunity, creating a prosperous and sustainable future for the Commonwealth.” The new law accomplishes four important goals.  First, the new law requires electricity utilities to purchase more electricity from renewable energy sources overtime.  The Massachusetts’ Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) will . . . Read More

(BOSTON) – On August 9, 2018, legislation authorizing $2.4 billion of investments in the environment, agriculture, and climate adaptation in the Commonwealth was signed into law. The Environmental Bond Bill funds local sea level rise and climate change resiliency and adaptation efforts, enhances environmental and natural resource protection, and invests in our parks and recreational assets. These investments will reach every corner of the Commonwealth, from coastal infrastructure to agricultural preservation. The Environmental Bond Bill positions Massachusetts to lead on coastal resilience, and to preserve our local community’s natural resources for generations to come. “Climate change and sea level rise mitigation and adaptation are critical to ensure a prosperous future for the Commonwealth, and safety for its residents,” said Representative Joan Meschino (D - Hull). “In coastal communities like Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, and North Scituate, the need for these kinds of investments is urgent. The legislature was able to meet that . . . Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 19, 2018  BOSTON – Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined her colleagues in the House ofRepresentatives on Wednesday, June 13th to pass legislation authorizing spending onenvironmental programs. The bill, H.4599, also known as the Environmental Bond Bill,authorizes over a billion dollars in funding to protect against the impacts of climate change andconserve natural resources. The funding and policy proposed in this legislation will reach everycorner of the Commonwealth, from coastal infrastructure to agricultural preservation. The BondBill also invests in water and air quality protection, municipal vulnerability preparedness grants,and an electric vehicle incentive program. These are critical steps to making Massachusetts aleader in global climate change solutions, and to preserving our community’s natural assets forgenerations to come.“Climate change and sea level rise are urgent issues that my community faces,” saidRepresentative Meschino. “I was proud to collaborate with my colleagues to ensure that the statewill be able to allocate the necessary . . . Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  April 10, 2018 BOSTON – Today at the Massachusetts State House, Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined her colleagues, Representatives Smitty Pignatelli (D-Lenox), Jonathan Hecht (D-Watertown), Solomon Goldstein-Rose (I-Amherst) and Jack Lewis (D-Framingham), to host an Electric Vehicle Ride and Drive. The day began with a morning briefing, which highlighted the benefits of electric vehicles, showcased the enormous advancements made in electric vehicle technology over recent years, and addressed the future of electric vehicles in the Commonwealth. The briefing brought in a diverse set of speakers, including Matthew Beaton, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; Alli Gold Roberts, State Policy Director at Ceres; Basim Motiwala, Government Relations at Honda; and Karsten Barde, New Customer Offerings at National Grid. After the briefing, legislators, State House staff and media were invited to test drive a host of electric vehicles, including a BMWi3, a Nissan Leaf, a Chevy . . . Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  February 26, 2018 BOSTON - State Representative Joan Meschino joined 37 other legislators who weighed in last week on the allocation of $75 million that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is scheduled to receive from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund. Members urged the Department of Environmental Protection, which is charged with dispensing the money, to invest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and invest the balance of the funds in fully-electric transit and school buses. The money will be received as part of a multi-state settlement with Volkswagen after it used a cheating computer system that ran emissions controls during testing but not during normal vehicle operation. Emissions from these vehicles were 15-40 times the federal Environmental Protection Agency compliance level. Volkswagen has agreed to spend nearly $15 billion on remedial action, including $2.9 billion that is being divided up among participating states and territories. “The Commonwealth must continue . . . Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 18, 2016 Contact: Geri Spanek 617.557.4560 gerispanek@yahoo.com Hull—Joan Meschino, Democratic candidate for State Representative, plans a comprehensive initiative to seek grants and other funding to help protect Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, and North Scituate from rising sea levels and continuing coastal erosion, if elected. Meschino is currently a member of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, which has completed more than $20 million in capital projects, including Quincy Shore Drive, since its inception in 2006. “This district includes many miles of coastline, and we will continue to experience destructive storm surges and rising sea levels,” said Meschino, a Hull native who served two terms as a Hull Selectman. “Planning and executing proactive, protective measures is far more efficient and cost effective than simply cleaning up after major storms pound our fragile shoreline.  And here in New England, we know that these storms will continue to occur, like it or not.” . . . Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 20, 2016  Contact: Pam Wolfe(781) 706-2890pjdwsunset@comcast.net HULL – Democrat Joan Meschino, candidate for State Representative for the Third Plymouth District seat, called on the legislature to ban the surcharge sought by utility companies which would require ratepayers to pick up the cost of new gas pipelines through Massachusetts and a compressor station in Weymouth.  These facilities are unnecessary and pose environmental and health risks.   “The state senate voted 29-0 to ban the surcharge for new gas infrastructure, but the house failed to speak up.  I urge the legislature to include the ban in the energy bill which is now in conference committee, and approve it as the senate did. This surcharge amounts to a hidden tax increase that will burden all residents of the South Shore and benefit only the utility companies,” said Meschino. “These facilities will bring no benefit to our district, and if they are built, . . . Read More