Page 24 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2022 THE HOUSE AND SENATE. Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST – Join more than 22,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what ’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and influence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced writers Chris Van Buskirk and Keith Regan who introduce each article in their own clever and inimitable way. MASSterlist will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of February 28-March 4. OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY (H 4515) House 133-12, approved and sent to the Senate a bill to further develop and expand the offshore wind industry in Massachusetts. Provisions include investing hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade in infrastructure, innovation, job training, supply chain capacity and transmission upgrades; providing job training, tax incentives, grants and loans; investing in longterm energy storage to help the state’s transition to renewable energy; and implementing a new charge that would add an estimated $1.37 to the average gas customer’s monthly bill to raise an estimated $23 million in new revenue that would be used to fund the programs, tax incentives and grants. “I am thrilled that today the House passed legislation crucial to the development of a strong offshore wind industry in Massachusetts,” said Representative Jeff Roy (D-Franklin), House chair of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. “Massachusetts waters have the greatest offshore wind potential out of the contiguous U.S. and this legislation will ensure that the commonwealth is prepared to harness that energy while also creating a just and robust local economy, educational opportunities for our residents and critical upgrades to our energy infrastructure without causing undue harm to our coastal habitats or maritime industries.” “I’m immensely proud of the steps that the House took today to ensure Massachusetts remains at the forefront of renewable energy development,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “Not only will this legislation help us reduce our carbon emissions and combat climate change, it will also spur economic development, modernize our energy infrastructure and create thousands of new jobs in the process.” “While I completely agree that we need to do something about encouraging clean energy and offshore wind development, I think we could have found the funds in the current budget and not put the costs on the ratepayers,” said Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut), the only Democrat to vote against the measure. “It is the economically challenged folks who can’t afford the major rehabs of older homes to save on gas and electric heating costs who will get hit with these charges. I believe this is definitely not the time to be adding more costs to homeowners with inflation and a slow economic recovery from the pandemic.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Donald Wong Yes ELIMINATE THE ESTIMATED $1.37 PER CUSTOMER CHARGE TO FUND TAX CREDITS AND JOB TRAINING (H 4515) House 28-127, rejected an amendment that would eliminate a new charge that would add an estimated $1.37 to the average gas customer’s monthly bill. The estimated $23 million in new revenue would be used to fund training programs, tax credits and incentives for companies. “This would amount to about a two percent increase in a natural gas user’s bill each month,” said amendment sponsor Kelly Pease (R-Westfield). “It does not sound like a lot, but during these inflationary times and with gas and oil prices going out of control due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is not the time to raise rates on the people of the commonwealth. The critics of the amendment said it would get rid of the trust fund which would do away with job training and tax credits as well. This is true. By removing the funding it would eliminate those parts of the bill, but I believe that given the commonwealth is very financially strong that the trust fund and programs should be paid for out of existing state funds and not be putting the burden onto the citizens of Massachusetts by adding a rate increase to their monthly bills.” Rep Jeff Roy (D-Franklin), House Chair of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, said that the amendment seeks to strike the meat and potatoes from all of the elements that will strengthen this industry. “The amendment would have eliminated provisions of the bill that make crucial investments into offshore wind and other clean energy technologies,” said Roy. “Massachusetts stands to BHRC | SEE PAGE 25
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