THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 26, 2021 Page 7 CLIMATE | FROM PAGE 2 lives of those living in underserved communities. Now is the time to be proactive in how we approach our climate crisis and to protect our environment for future generations. I want to thank my legislative partner, House Speaker Mariano for his collaboration, Senator Barrett and Representatives Golden and Roy for their steadfast support, and the residents of Massachusetts for their unwavering support in advancing this legislation.” “I am proud the House and the Senate have not backed down from our ambitious goals and unwavering commitment to make Massachusetts a leader in climate protection and clean energy,” said Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano. “There is no doubt this legislation will set Massachusetts on the right path and benefi t generations to come. I thank Chairman Roy and Leader Golden for their work over the course of two sessions and Senate President Spilka for her collaboration in getting this bill once again back to the Governor’s desk.” “The Roadmap sets us on a strong course to net zero by 2050 and signifi cantly advances off shore wind, truly representing the best ideas from both chambers. Hats off to the House and the Senate for holding firm on ambitious emissions targets. A special thank you to Speaker Mariano for his tireless perseverance and vision in seeing this day become a reality. This bill off ers us a comprehensive roadmap to move us away from fossil fuels and towards ensuring environmental justice,” said Senate Majority Leader Cindy Creem. “The provisions of this bill represent a great step forward in our eff orts to reduce harmful carbon emissions and it needs to become law now.” The passage of the climate bill comes after a joint commitment from Spilka and Mariano to quickly refi le the legislation following a gubernatorial veto last session. This session Governor Charlie Baker offered amendments to the bill, which have been considered by the Legislature. The House and Senate rejected eff orts to slow the rate of progress toward net-zero emissions by 2050, while accepting a number of more technical amendments that improve the bill. The fi nal legislation: • Sets a statewide net-zero limit on greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and mandates emissions limits every five years, as well as sub-limits for transportation, buildings and other sectors of the economy • Codifi es EJ provisions into Massachusetts law, defining EJ populations and providing new tools and protections for aff ected neighborhoods • Establishes a municipal optin, specialized stretch energy code which includes a defi nition of “net-zero building” and net-zero building performance standards • Requires an additional 2,400 megawatts of off shore wind, increasing the total authorization to 5,600 megawatts in the Commonwealth • Directs the Department of Public Utilities, the regulator of the state’s electric and natural gas utilities, to balance priorities going forward: system safety and security, reliability, aff ordability, equity, and, signifi cantly, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions • Sets appliance energy effi ciency standards for a variety of common appliances, including plumbing, faucets, computers and commercial appliances • Adopts several measures aimed at improving gas pipeEverett Aluminum 10 Everett Ave., Everett 617-389-3839 Owned & operated by the Conti family since 1958 • 57 Years! “Same name, phone number & address for family since 1958 • 62 over half a century. 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