Last week, the Senate passed S2400, its version of the energy omnibus bill, setting the stage for conference committee negotiations with the House to send a final bill to the governor. Though the House Bill, H4385, was a solid starting point, the Senate bill significantly improves the House’s version in a few key ways:
- It increases the amount of offshore wind energy that utility companies must purchase from 1200 megawatts to 2000 megawatts
- It doubles the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), the rate at which utility companies must increasingly buy from renewable energy sources
- It outright BANS the pipeline tax from being used against ratepayers by the Department of Public Utilities in the future.
- It provides for the decommissioning of the Pilgrim nuclear power plant.
These provisions are essential to securing the clean energy future for which we have been fighting for so long.
The House and Senate have named Senator Ben Downing, Senator Marc Pacheco, Senator Bruce Tarr, Representative Brian Dempsey, Representative Tom Golden and Representative Brad Jones to a conference committee which will negotiate the two bills.
Please call your representative and ask them to speak to Speaker Deleo and the conferees about standing up for these priorities, especially if your representative signed the Kulik-Jones letter? This is their last chance to push their leadership and stand up for what they believe in.
Please also ask your State Senator to speak with Senator Downing and the other conferees about standing firm on the Senate’s hard-won priorities. Ask them to preserve the crucial provisions from the Senate bill in the final version!
Click here to contact your state senator and representative today! And please forward this message to your contacts in other Massachusetts communities.
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