MassDEP seeks input on how to tackle climate change

As you may know, Massachuetts is required by law to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  That's because of the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), a law passed by the legislature in 2008.  The GWSA requires, among other things, that Massachusetts reduce GHG emissions from all sectors of the economy 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

Earlier this year, after a lawsuit filed by the Conservation Law Foundation, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that the GWSA requires MassDEP to promulgate new regulations that “impose a limit on [greenhouse gas] emissions that may be released, limit the aggregate emissions released from each group of regulated sources or categories of sources, set emission limits for each year, and set limits that decline on an annual basis” to meet the requirements of section 3(d).

As a result of that ruling, Governor Baker issued Executive Order 569 , which directs the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to coordinate and make consistent new and existing efforts to mitigate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to build resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change.  The Executive Order also directs MassDEP to promulgate regulations that satisfy the mandate of section 3(d) with the objective that these regulations ensure that the Commonwealth meets the 2020 statewide emissions limit mandated by the GWSA. These efforts will work together with current activities, as detailed in the 2015 Update to the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020  file size4MB. For further information on MassDEP’s efforts to date, see http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/air/climate/.

MassDEP is seeking input from the citizens of the Commonwealth and all interested parties regarding regulatory approaches to meet the requirements of section 3(d)  All feedback is appreciated.  Comments can be submitted here.