House, Senate could resend climate bill

Bill designed to push Mass. toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Do&toN » The House and Senate could resend Gov. Charlie Baker a climate change bill designed to push Massachusetts toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 on Thursday, according to one senior State House official.

The House and Senate both have formal sessions planned for Thursday, when the climate bill that was refiled last week in the Senate by Sen. Michael Barrett and Rep. Thomas Golden could come up for a vote. Barrett, of Lexington, represents several Greater Lowell communities. Golden is dean of Lowell’s State House delegation.

“That appears to be the plan,” texted one House official who has worked on the climate issue in the past.

House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka have both said they want to quickly pass the same bill that Baker vetoed after the end of the last two-year session.

That bill would require Massachusetts to go carbon neutral by 2050, but would allow for changes to local building codes that Baker worries will stymie housing construction.

The governor also laid out other concerns with an additional offshore wind procurement and the lack of funding for climate resiliency projects, and has expressed his desire to work with lawmakers on amendments.

“I don’t accept the false choice between equitable economic prosperity and tackling the climate change needs of our planet,” Spilka said in a interview that aired Sunday on WCVB.

The Senate plans to meet in a formal session on Thursday, and the House laid out plans for the week that include an informal session today and a formal on Thursday.