The bill (SD. 1932, HD.3357) calls for the transition to occur in two phases. The first phase is a shift to source all electricity in the state to renewables like wind and solar by 2035. It is designed to complement and strengthen the Global Warming Solutions Act, passed in 2008, which requires the state to reduce its carbon emissions by at least 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
The second phase would require heating, transportation and other sectors to be 100% powered by renewable sources by 2050.
The bill is referred to as the “100% Renewable Energy Act” and, to date, it has 53 co-sponsors. If passed, it would be the most ambitious state-level clean energy commitment in the nation, and would make Massachusetts the first state to commit to 100 percent renewable energy economy-wide.
The bill also calls for the establishment of a Clean Energy Workforce development Fund designed in part to aid in the transition of workers from fossil-fuel energy jobs to clean energy jobs.
A news release from Environment Massachusetts quotes Senator Eldridge saying, "Massachusetts has been a leader on alternative energy policy for over a decade, and now with federal assaults on efforts to combat climate change, it will be up to individual states to protect the environmental and health interests of the public. Massachusetts, now more than ever, needs to be a leader on energy policy, and moving to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 will allow the Commonwealth to remain a beacon of hope in moving away from fossil fuels."
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