Details, timing could lead to veto
Gov. Charlie Baker is seriously considering a veto of climate legislation that would commit Massachusetts to going carbon neutral by 2050, according to multiple sources, raising deep fears within the environmental community that the bill’s failure could send a troubling signal to other states looking to Massachusetts as a guidepost.
Baker has not yet decided what he will do, but members of his administration have told stakeholders that there is a possibility he will pocket veto the legislation by taking no action on the bill. The governor has until Thursday to act on the legislation that was passed Jan. 4, and if he doesn’t sign it the bill will simply die.
Baker, according to sources, agrees with most major elements of the legislation, including the statewide requirement of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the advancement of offshore wind. Baker set an identical emission reduction goal by executive action earlier this year.
The governor, however, has concerns with some of the interim reduction targets set by the bill, and would prefer a less prescriptive and cost-conscious approach to reducing carbon emissions than the sector-by-sector approach outlined in the legislation.
“Some grave concern setting in,” said one person familiar with the administration’s process, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.
An adviser to the governor said Baker was “still reviewing” the legislation.
The pressure to sign the bill is coming from many lawmakers and environmental groups, though the real estate industry and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce have flagged areas of concern to them as well. U.S. Sen. Edward Markey even weighed in on Monday.
“Massachusetts has always been a pace-setter for national progress. On climate change and environmental justice, it should be no different. This bill on Governor Baker’s desk is a key opportunity for the Commonwealth to continue working for the common good,” Markey tweeted.
In addition to committing the state to net-zero emissions by 2050, the bill would establish energy efficiency standards for appliances and authorize additional purchases of offshore wind power, solidifying wind as the backbone of the state’s transition to clean energy transition. But Baker is said to be frustrated with the Legislature that they would send him a bill with so many complex pieces so close to the end of the session, giving him few options to respond.
The governor and his team also feel they were “boxed out of the conference committee negotiation process,” despite lawmakers knowing how the lateness of the bill would tie his hands, according to someone who has spoken to officials in the administration. At the tail end of a two-year session, House and Senate negotiators struck a deal and passed the climate bill just days before they ended their session. Now, Baker can either sign it or let it die on his desk.