Senate rejects Republican climate plan
The state Senate resoundingly rejected a proposal made by the chamber’s three Republican members over climate legislation.
“I’m so pleased my colleagues are willing to confront some questions and deploy some options that have only been embraced heretofore, maybe by California,” Sen. Mike Barrett told the Senate as they gathered to hear amendments to (S 2819) or An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward.
Senate Democrats unveiled their plan last week, saying it was needed to complement the law Gov. Charlie Baker signed in 2021 committing Massachusetts to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
That plan calls for an outright ban on the sale of cars with internal combustion engines by 2035, investment into electric vehicle charging stations and subsidies to make the vehicles more affordable, investment in new clean energies like fusion and deep geothermal, and removes biomass as a means of renewable fuel considered for clean energy subsidies.
“We’re right on the cutting edge, we’re joining with one or two other vanguard states, I’m proud that’s the case, I welcome today’s debate,” Barrett said.
What the majority of the senate — 36 of 39 senators — were not willing to consider, was an amendment offered by Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and the chamber’s other two Republicans.
That amendment, which would have introduced alternative legislation Republicans said would add $500 million into decarbonization and energy independence efforts, would see climate funds focused on carbon sequestration technology
and protecting the state’s wilderness as a tool to remove emitted carbon from the atmosphere.
“There are many things we can consider and in due times should consider. At the moment we have a task, the task is to advance the
agenda of eliminating carbon emissions from the environment, the time frame we have to take that next step is the end of July,” Tarr said, when asking the members to consider his amendment.
The amendment died
after a roll call vote, with only the three Republicans voting in favor.
As of 5 p.m. the Senate was still debating amendments to the climate bill. The legislative session is scheduled to adjourn for the year on July 31.