Since 2008, Massachusetts has been a national leader in lowering its greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions and making the switch from burning dirtier fuels to incentivizing the development and use of renewable energy resources. We've had notable success in this endeavor, ranking number one in the nation for energy efficiency for the last four years, and number three, nationally, for generation of solar photovoltaic energy. With the change of state administrations, however, there are signs that our new Governor may be backing off from our state's clean energy leadership, so I've redoubled my efforts to keep Massachusetts committed to the cleanest sources feasible for generating a sufficient supply of the energy we need, for energy bills which continue to be below the national average.

Expanding Our Lead in Energy Efficiency

Our electricity utilities have presented the administration with a far less robust three year energy efficiency plan than we should be embracing. I was one of several legislators who recently signed on to a letter to the Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (EEAC) asking that more ambitious goals be adopted. I also went personally to the EEAC hearing on May 28, 2015, to testify in support of a strong commitment to efficiency.

I asked the Council to develop programs to allow tenants to access energy efficiency measures in the dwellings that they rent. In a cities like Somerville, where such a large percentage of the residents do not own their homes, energy efficiency programs for rental properties could have a huge impact, making it possible for tenants to have more efficient boilers, burners, water heaters and appliances, as well as badly needed insulation of walls and windows. Such programs would make life at home more comfortable for many, while reducing utility bills, and combatting the scourge of "fuel poverty," so prevalent among the elderly.

Continuing to Grow Solar Energy

One of the two main mechanisms Massachusetts has used to encourage the adoption of solar photovoltaic (pv) energy is "net metering," a mechanism that allows generators of solar energy to sell it back to the electricity supply grid. The potential for such sales is not unlimited, however - each of the electrical distribution utilities has a cap on the amount of energy it has to buy back within its service area.

On March 31, 2015, this cap was reached in the National Grid territory of 171 communities, out of the 351 in the state (https://www.nationalgridus.com/non_html/shared_about_svcmap_meco.pdf ). Not only does hitting the cap put a damper on expansion of solar with the National Grid territory, it discourages our strong and (up to now) growing solar energy industry. I was terribly disheartened, at the June 2, 2015 legislative hearing, to hear Gov. Baker's Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Matt Beaton, announce the administration's opposition to raising the net metering cap - my testimony was in support of lifting it.

Reducing Costly, Damaging Gas Leaks

Somerville has a problem with gas - natural gas, leaking from old pipes. While most are not of the magnitude which can cause buildings to go up into fireballs, leaking natural gas is still a big problem. It can kill street trees and other vegetation; consumers pay for it, though we don't get to use it, and it is a potent greenhouse gas - practically pure methane, which has far more potent short term effects than carbon dioxide, as a climate change driver.

A locally-conducted study shows that Somerville has more gas leaks than Cambridge does [maps of the leaks]. According to the Home Energy Efficiency Team, the cost per gas-using household could be as much as $102 per year for the lost gas. Pending legislation H.2870 (https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H2870) would require more prompt attention to chronic leaks which don't hot the 'threat to public safety' threshold.  A lot of credit goes to Alderman William White for bringing before the Somerville Board of Alderman a resolution in support of this legislation.

Elizabeth Warren is right to oppose "fast track" authority for the Transpacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP). These secretly-negotiated treaties are accessible to big corporations, their lawyers and lobbyists. While our Congress people are allowed to see the documents, they may not copy or photograph them, or take notes - what we know of these agreements is mostly courtesy of leaked text (these leaks, I'm grateful for.)

To get a sense of what is so troubling about these big trade deals, look at the testimony I gave in April to the Office of the US Trade Representative (within the Office of the President), at a Stakeholder Forum in New York. The following day, Somerville Neighborhood News did this story; you may also read the text of two letters (May 10 and May 25) I sent to the editors of the Boston Globe (neither was printed.) My second letter describes a letter sent by a bi-partisan group of 85 state legislators from 36 states to leaders of the U.S. House and Senate.  If anyone is interested in reading the original letter, reach out and I can send it to you.  For more information on how trade agreements impact the environment, visit the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators website: http://www.ncel.net/base.cgim?template=trade_agreements_and_the_environment