Legislature’s Failure to Pass Climate Bill Means ZIP Code Will Continue to Determine Pollution Exposure in Commonwealth

BOSTON, Mass.-After yet another last-minute legislative scrum behind closed doors, the Massachusetts Legislature failed to pass a bill via conference committee before the legislative session ended that would streamline the permitting and siting of new clean energy infrastructure. According to the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Legislative Table-a state-wide coalition of environmental justice organizations and their allies-the legislature's inability to reach a consensus on an issue of paramount concern to those they govern is wholly unacceptable. If done right, this bill could have not only enabled more renewables to access the electric grid, but it also could have done so while better protecting the communities that have been harmed by energy infrastructure in the past. This legislation will need to be reintroduced next session, which begins in January 2025, and move through the entire process again to become law.

Below are statements from members of the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Legislative Table.

"This is an embarrassing failure and an indictment of the status quo on Beacon Hill when it comes to managing a sane and effective legislative process," said John Walkey, director of climate justice and waterfront initiatives at GreenRoots. "The administration devoted resources to take on thorny issues surrounding energy facilities siting and permitting. The committee chairs spent considerable time going over the details, with constituents, community groups, and representatives from the clean energy industry, utilities, environmental advocacy organizations, and municipal governments weighing in. How an agreement couldn't be reached after two years of hard work is beyond my comprehension. Ultimately, this means the communities of Massachusetts hit first and worst by climate change will continue to be the ones that suffer most."

"On a day with yet another heat advisory in a summer of seemingly endless hot days, hearing legislators tell the communities most impacted by the climate crisis to wait two more years for protection from further harm is unconscionable," said Sofia Owen, the director of environmental justice legal services at Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE). "We had the opportunity to move the needle on environmental justice in the Commonwealth. Instead, we remain a state where your ZIP code predicts whether you can breathe clean air or live near toxic sites and polluting industries."

"The legislature's inaction will prolong the Commonwealth's reliance on fossil-fueled energy infrastructure, the vast majority of which is currently located in communities of color and low-income communities," said Paula García, a senior energy analyst and the energy justice lead at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). "The promise of a cleaner, healthier future for Bay Staters won't become a reality unless policymakers urgently act to phase out fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy options and proactively safeguard against new harms in the neighborhoods already aching from decades of overconcentration of industrial and energy infrastructure."

According to a recent analysis by ACE, GreenRoots, the Conservation Law Foundation, and UCS, more than 80% of existing fossil-fueled electricity generating units-that come with expansive health and safety risks-are located in or within one mile of communities that are home to people of color, low-income people, and people with limited English-language proficiency.

The Massachusetts Environmental Justice Legislative Table is led by GreenRoots, Alternatives for Community and Environment, Coalition for Social Justice, Arise for Social Justice, Groundwork Lawrence, and the North American Indian Center of Boston with allyship from Conservation Law Foundation, Union of Concerned Scientists, Massachusetts Public Health Association, Unitarian Universalist Mass Action, Clean Water Action, Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Sierra Club Massachusetts, and the Green Energy Consumers Alliance.

Additional Resources:

A growing body of science and the lived experience of environmental justice communities supports the need to address harm from exposure to multiple pollutants from multiple sources that accumulate over time. Click here for more information on how a comprehensive cumulative impact assessment can help keep communities safe.

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