The Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter will prioritize the following legislation during the 194th session of the General Court. The climate and biodiversity crises continue to escalate, and while our state has set admirable goals, now is the time for action. In the face of federal threats, Massachusetts must maintain and advance a path of bold leadership. By hastening our transition to renewable energy and protecting our natural lands, we stand to strengthen our economy and communities. Sierra members chose each of these bills as a top priority because each is ambitious, factual, economically sound, and will create a more equitable future for Massachusetts residents. If enacted, the legislation listed below will dramatically reduce carbon pollution and protect ratepayers and historically marginalized communities, restrict the use of harmful toxic chemicals like PFAS, and protect and expand our public lands. It will also ensure we embody our values and uphold democratic integrity by enacting a thoroughly transparent and accountable legislative process. View this page as a PDF.
Jump to a section: Top Legislative Priorities | Building Electrification | Clean Energy | Climate | Supporting Workers | Public Lands protections & Municipal Reforestation | Toxics | Plastics | Transportation | Other bills that align with our vision for the future
Send a message asking your legislators to co-sponsor these priority bills!
TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Stopping Utility Profiteering
H.3400 / S.2239 An Act Prohibiting The Use Of Ratepayer Funds For Utility Lobbying, Promotions Or Perks (Reps. Owens, Armini | Sen. Creem)
Gas and electric utilities should only charge customers for services necessary to provide safe, affordable, and reliable utility services. Yet they often use money collected from their customers’ bills for political purposes, such as lobbying, advertising, and trade association dues, which advance their own agenda and often contradict their customers’ best interests. Utilities also use ratepayer money to subsidize their Board of Directors’ extravagant expenses and fund investor relations units, costs that serve the utilities' shareholders and not their customers. This bill will codify much-needed consumer protections by prohibiting utilities from charging ratepayers for political activities and lavish expenses. Fact sheet.
H.3547 / S.2290 An Act Preventing Gas Expansion To Protect Climate, Community Health And Safety (Reps. A. Ramos, Williams | Sen. Gomez)
Our clean energy goals, our energy bills, and our environmental justice communities are under attack. This bill prevents approval of new and expanded large gas pipelines and power plants within 5 miles of environmental justice communities. These projects would increase customer bills, pollute communities, and work against the State’s clean energy transition. The bill also supports a just transition for former and current energy workers who could be displaced by not building these projects in the future. Fact sheet.
Protecting our Water and Forests
H.952 An Act relative to watershed forest protection (Rep. Gentile)
We must protect our water supply. The Quabbin, Ware, and Wachusett Reservoirs are the primary water source for the greater Boston area, and forests filter the water entering these reservoirs. Forests that are already “mature” will continue to age and become “old growth” forests, which maximize incalculable ecosystem services. Such benefits include carbon sequestration and storage, regulating local weather patterns, water absorption, filtration, and flood prevention, supporting biodiverse habitats, and preserving significant recreation areas enjoyed by thousands of Massachusetts residents throughout the state. This bill protects 100,000 acres of public land by designating our state-owned watershed forests as permanent parks or reserves that are off-limits to logging and other development. Fact sheet.
Stopping Forever Chemicals
H.4870 / S.1504 An Act to protect Massachusetts public health from PFAS (Rep. Hogan | Sen. Cyr)
PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also known as “forever” chemicals because of their inability to break down, have been decisively linked to fertility declines, weakened immune systems, developmental interference, cancer, hormone disruption, and other health effects. State testing has revealed they are increasingly accumulating in Massachusetts water, soil, and homes. This comprehensive bill will broadly address PFAS through education, remediation, and regulation. It would ban PFAS from selected consumer product categories, including food packaging, cookware, furnishings, and children’s products. The bill would also strengthen protections for our groundwater, surface water, drinking water, and private wells. Fact sheet.
A More Transparent Legislature
S.2099 An act to provide sunlight to state government (Sen. Eldridge)
Massachusetts has one of the least transparent legislatures in the nation. The House of Representatives is exempt from Public Record laws, and it is impossible to see how legislators vote on bills in committees. Each session, the legislature adopts rules to guide its conduct. We support more transparent rules and this bill, which would make transparent rules permanent. The bill would enact a host of transparency-related reforms, including requiring hearing dates to be posted at least two weeks in advance and allowing the public to request records of testimony. Most importantly, the bill would require committee votes to be publicly reported. Fact sheet.
Additional Priorities
Building Electrification
H.3194 / S.1973 An Act Relative To Affordable Housing And Environmental Adaptation Dollars (Rep. Montaño | Sen. Eldridge)
Known as the “AHEAD Bill,” this bill creates a permanent funding source for affordable housing and climate resilience by increasing the deed excise tax on property sales. Similar bills have been proposed in previous legislative sessions; it is high time to provide a meaningful source of funding that is not raised through fees on ratepayer gas and electricity bills but rather on the sale of real estate, most of which have appreciated greatly. The current deed excise rate is $4.56 per $1,000. The rate would increase to about $9, which is still much less than most states. This change should raise $200 to $300 million per year.
H.3577 / S.2286 An Act establishing a zero carbon renovation fund (Rep. Vargas, Cruz | Sen. Gomez)
Buildings account for up to 40% of our state’s emissions. This legislation would allocate $300 million for zero-carbon renovations in buildings, specifically affordable housing, low- and moderate-income homes, public buildings, schools, and small businesses. By prioritizing the most vulnerable populations, this legislation would take critical steps to reduce emissions equitably, improve climate resiliency, lower energy costs, and improve overall health for communities most in need.
H.3539 / S.2249 An Act Relative To A Tactical Transition To Affordable, Clean Thermal Energy (Rep. Owens, Armini | Sen. Creem)
This bill tackles the difficult challenge of getting buildings off methane gas infrastructure by proposing several significant steps. It prohibits a gas company from recovering the cost of gas pipeline expansion or replacement from ratepayers. It restricts gas companies from injecting any amount of a substitute fuel, such as hydrogen, into the gas system. It facilitates the advancement of utility-scale geothermal systems by requiring gas and electric companies to file joint tactical thermal transition plans and creating the designation of priority neighborhood electrification zones or neighborhoods. Finally, gas companies must provide training and continued employment at pre-existing wages and benefits for displaced workers. Fact Sheet.
H.3476 / S.2275 An Act Relative To Healthy And Sustainable Schools (Rep. Decker | Sen. Feeney)
Our schools are in desperate need of repair. This bill establishes a Healthy and Sustainable Schools Office within the Department of Energy Resources in Massachusetts to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability in public educational institutions. The office is tasked with conducting school energy audits, with a focus on those located in environmental justice communities. These audits will assess the potential for energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems, providing recommendations and cost estimates for necessary upgrades. The office will then be responsible for implementing recommended improvements and new renewable energy projects. The legislation also mandates ventilation verification assessments every five years. To ensure contractors provide good jobs, the legislation includes strong contractor certification and compliance requirements, including participation in apprenticeship programs and adherence to prevailing wage laws. Finally, the legislation establishes a revolving fund to finance these activities.
Clean Energy
H.3520 / S.2269 An Act Facilitating Distributed Energy Resources In The Commonwealth (Rep. Lewis | Sen. Eldridge)
We need all the solar we can get as soon as possible from small projects and projects close to electric demand, known as Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). By providing energy locally, these projects enhance resilience and minimize the need for expensive grid upgrades. DER projects are the surest way to ensure the benefits of our clean energy transition are felt tangibly by all communities. This bill addresses known impediments that kill or delay such projects and introduces new requirements to catalyze these processes. For example, it streamlines permitting and interconnection processes and advances equitable access to the benefits of local solar projects. Fact Sheet.
H.3559 / S.2296 An Act to Encourage Solar Development on Built and Disturbed Land (Reps. Garballey, Sabadosa | Sen. Mark)
Massachusetts must build significant solar energy generation to meet its climate laws. And we must also avoid damaging irreplaceable forests, watersheds, and natural lands whenever possible. Every megawatt of solar on buildings or disturbed land is one less megawatt that replaces a habitat. We should prioritize installing solar panels on buildings and disturbed sites such as parking lot canopies, brownfields, and roadway cuts. This Act creates the needed incentives via market drivers to build such projects and removes existing caps and limits so that such projects continue to be built year after year. Fact Sheet.
H.3501 / S.2279 An Act supporting climate progress through sustainably developed offshore wind (Rep. Haggerty | Sen. Fernandes)
Offshore wind is the energy of our future, and it’s already here. This bill catalyzes offshore wind development by increasing the state's offshore wind energy capacity target from 5,600 megawatts by 2027 to 11,200 by 2035. It ensures all projects will be environmentally responsible by creating an advisory council to oversee wildlife habitat management, monitor impacts, and guide mitigation efforts. The bill also supports hosting communities by creating new support programs and providing communities with incentives and financial assistance priorities. Additionally, it emphasizes workforce development and requires that contracts include strong labor standards and economic inclusion policies.
H.3534 / S.2255 An Act relative to electric ratepayer protections (Rep. Moran | Sen. Crighton)
This bill would ban third-party electricity suppliers that sell directly to residents. The Massachusetts attorney general has found that retail electricity customers paid $577 million more than traditional utility customers in the last eight years. She has labeled Massachusetts’ competitive electric supply industry “predatory and broken” and calls on the legislature to protect customers. These third-party companies give confusing or misleading offers and often target low-income and older adults. Despite years of trying to enforce existing regulations to penalize bad actors, the losses keep piling up. It is time to ban this practice. Fact Sheet.
H.3548 / S.2287 An Act limiting the eligibility of woody biomass as an alternative energy supply (Rep. Ramos | Sen. Gomez)
This bill would prohibit large and intermediate-sized wood boilers and furnaces from receiving subsidies. The legislature has removed energy subsidies via the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) for wood-burning power plants, but the state still subsidizes biomass energy via the Alternative Portfolio Standard (APS) for facilities that create heat and electricity. This bill closes one of the remaining subsidies for woody biomass which is extremely polluting, is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and is not renewable in the 25 years remaining in which we must act on the climate crisis. Fact Sheet.
H.3549 / S.2288 An Act to remove woody biomass from the greenhouse gas emissions standard for municipal lighting plants (Rep. Ramos | Sen. Gomez)
This bill removes biomass from the list of “non-carbon emitting sources” that municipal lighting plants (MLPs) can use to meet the new MLP greenhouse gas emission standard. This provision benefits biomass power plants like Springfield's proposed Palmer Renewable Energy plant, which had been marketing its power to MLPs. Calling biomass energy “non-carbon emitting” is counter to fact, and including woody biomass in the MLP standard incentivizes MLPs to purchase biomass power rather than truly clean energy like wind and solar power. Fact Sheet.
Climate
H.2427 / S.1546 An Act to improve indoor air quality for highly impacted communities (Reps. Garcia, Montaño | Sen. Gomez)
Many buildings throughout Massachusetts, including daycare facilities, residential homes, schools, and more, are plagued by poor air quality and mold. This bill will create a task force to develop guidelines that address indoor air pollution and mold contamination, focusing on high-risk buildings and improved processes for indoor air quality remediation. Fact sheet (English) | Fact sheet (Spanish)
H.2369 / S.1548 An Act to ensure cleaner air for communities overburdened by outdoor air pollution (Reps. Barber, Connolly | Sen. Jehlen)
Massachusetts has the sixth worst rate of asthma in the country. This bill will establish a technical advisory committee to identify air pollution hotspots, lay the groundwork to implement enhanced air pollution monitoring systems, establish a baseline for air pollution, and lead to the installation of high-quality filtration systems in high-risk areas. The bill also establishes targets for air pollution reduction in hot spots – 50% below baseline levels by 2030 and 75% below baseline levels by 2035. Fact sheet (English) | Fact sheet (Spanish)
H.1014 / S.588 An Act establishing a climate change superfund and promoting polluter responsibility (Rep. Owens | Sen. Eldridge)
This legislation creates a cost recovery program for climate change adaptation that obtains payments from the biggest greenhouse gas polluters, as determined by a formula, to be used toward funding climate change adaptive infrastructure projects in Massachusetts, including developing natural and artificial solutions for coastal protection, reinforcing public transport networks like highways and train systems, retrofitting public buildings like schools, preparing for hazardous weather, and more. At least 40% of these funds will be allocated to projects in environmental justice communities. The fund will also require large projects receiving funds to pay a prevailing wage, utilize apprenticeship programs, and abide by good working conditions to ensure that the revenue spent supports working families. Fact Sheet.
H.560 / S.391 An Act Implementing Elementary And Secondary Interdisciplinary Climate Literacy Education (Rep. Domb | Sen. Lewis)
This youth-written bill supports public schools in integrating climate justice education into classrooms. It establishes a trust fund that will financially enable school districts to develop interdisciplinary climate literacy plans and then implement projects to meet those plans. The bill also creates an advisory council, including students, teachers, and nonprofit leaders, to advise the Education Commissioner in developing and implementing these plans. It prioritizes funding for schools that serve environmental justice communities.
Supporting Workers
For generations, skilled workers have dedicated their careers to providing affordable, safe, reliable heat to Massachusetts residents. As Massachusetts seeks to meet its climate goals, this skilled workforce will be critical to safely decommissioning the gas system and upgrading residents to highly efficient clean equipment.
In particular, networked geothermal, which relies on much of the same engineering and maintenance principles as gas pipelines, will allow Massachusetts to create a pipeline to family-sustaining clean energy careers.
Utilities and agencies must plan for and implement programs that support these workers in transitioning or retiring in comfort. We must also set high standards for the clean energy industry to ensure that clean energy jobs deliver on their promise. Clean energy work must adhere to prevailing wage laws. Clean energy companies must agree to labor peace agreements. Clean energy contractors must disclose their hiring plans to ensure contracts are chosen based on who has the highest trained, diverse, and fairly compensated workforce, not who can cut the most corners. The fossil fuel and clean energy-related bill priorities on this list have been chosen with the needs of workers in mind.
Public Lands Protections & Municipal Reforestation
H.1048 An Act relative to increased protection of wildlife management areas (Rep. Sena)
This bill expands and makes permanent the existing system of reserves on public Wildlife Management Areas administered by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. It directs the designation by 2030 of at least 30%, or about 51,000 acres, of the agency’s lands, consistent with the latest biological and climate science, and would give these areas permanent protection. Fact sheet.
H.953 An Act relative to forest protection (Rep. Gentile)
This bill protects 311,000 acres of state-owned land, including all state forests, as permanent parks or reserves that are off-limits to logging and other development. This maximizes carbon sequestration and storage, biodiversity preservation, and preserves forests that humans use for physical, mental, and spiritual well-being on public lands. Fact sheet.
H.1013 / S.553 An Act establishing the Municipal Reforestation Program (Rep. Armini, Owens | Sen. Creem)
The Act sets up a structure to provide funding and technical assistance to participating cities and towns to establish robust urban forests. It establishes the Urban Forest Advisory Council to provide technical assistance on optimal sites for planting and for proper maintenance to ensure that new and existing trees thrive. Expanding the urban forest addresses serious issues of “tree equity” as the bill gives priority to Environmental Justice and other communities with low tree canopy coverage. Benefits include significant cooling effects for “heat islands,” better stormwater management and reduced flooding, improved air quality and positive mental health impacts. Funding will come from such sources as an environmental bond bill, state appropriations, federal grants, private grants and donations. Fact sheet.
Toxics
H.4357 / S.2660 An Act Relative To Toxic Free Kids (Rep. Hawkins | Sen. Comerford)
This bill requires businesses that manufacture, sell, or distribute children’s products in Massachusetts to report on toxic chemicals in those products. It would also prohibit the use of highly hazardous chemicals in children’s toys, clothing, furniture, equipment, and other items. Fact Sheet.
H.954 An Act empowering vulnerable municipalities to protect residents and the environment from harmful pesticides (Rep. Gentile)
This bill would allow cities and towns that contain sole-source aquifers or that have a majority of residential drinking water users served by private wells to adopt ordinances and by-laws that regulate, restrict, or prohibit the outdoor, non-agricultural use and application of pesticides.
H.1041 / S.587 An Act To Protect Pollinators And Public Health (Sen. Eldridge | Rep. Sabadosa)
This bill sets a date for a prohibition on the distribution or sale of any agricultural seeds for corn, wheat, or soybean that are treated with a neonicotinoid pesticide. Fact Sheet.
Plastics
The Sierra Club supports getting to zero waste. Reaching this goal will require eliminating toxic, permanent plastic pollution based on fossil fuels. The Sierra Club supports strong, comprehensive plastic reduction efforts. The following bills address specific, high-impact categories of plastic products:
H.1019 / S.654 An Act To Reduce Plastics (Rep. Phillips | Sen. Rausch)
This bill contains several provisions, including: i) requiring carryout bags to be recycled paper or reusable bags; ii) requiring disposable food service ware provided by food establishments to be biodegradable or compostable; iii) prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages in plastic containers less than or equal to 100 milliliters; iv) prohibiting the sale of non-carbonated, non-flavored water in bottles 1 liter or less.
H.916 / S.630 An Act To Reduce Single-Use Plastics From The Environment (Rep. Ciccolo | Sen. Lewis)
This bill would prohibit the sale and distribution of numerous single-use plastics items including retail carryout bags, food service ware made from polystyrene or black plastic, nips, and plastic wet wipes.
H.933 / S.590 An Act relative to plastic bag reduction (Rep. Domb | Sen. Eldridge)
This bill prevents the sale of a bag without at least a $0.10 cost to be retained by the store. Small businesses would be exempt. The bill would pre-empt any local ordinance and include penalties for noncompliance.
Transportation
H.3753 / S.2359 An Act Setting Deadlines to Electrify the MBTA Commuter Rail (Reps. Owens, Armini | Sen. Crighton)
Diesel locomotives power the MBTA commuter rail system. Electrifying it will reduce harmful air pollution in neighborhoods along the routes and allow the MBTA to run faster and more reliable trains. This bill sets phased electrification targets for the different commuter rail lines and requires the MBTA to operate an all-electric system by 2035. It prioritizes electrifying commuter rail lines passing through environmental justice corridors and directs the MBTA to implement line-specific service frequency standards.
Over 6,000 bills have been filed this session, and many align with the Sierra Club’s vision. We expect this list of supported bills to grow in the coming months as more bills surface.
Other bills that align with our vision for the future
Clean energy
H.3540 / S.2303 An Act Advancing Clean Energy Equity (Rep. Owens | Sen. Miranda)
H.3521 / S.2270 An Act Maximizing And Optimizing Small-Scale Assets In Communities (Rep. Lewis | Sen. Eldridge) Fact Sheet.
Climate
S.922 An act relative to the Bean New Deal (Sen. Creem)
H.3937 / S.786 An Act creating a climate bank in Massachusetts
H.3972 An Act providing for utility shut-off protections during periods of extreme heat
S.2238 An Act protecting consumers from unreasonable utility rate increases
Building Electrification
H.3565 / S.2247 An Act Relative To Mass Save Assessments (Rep. Sangiolo | Sen. Creem)
H.3446 / S.2248 Municipal voices in gas utility work (Rep. Armini | Sen. Creem)
H.3529 / S.2294 An Act Relative To Building Energy And Decarbonization (Rep. Meschino | Sen. Lewis)
H.3580 An Act Creating Pathways Toward Net-Zero Neighborhoods (Rep. Vitolo)
HD.4090 An Act sparking the construction of 21st century buildings (Rep. Vitolo)
H.3543 An Act Relative To The Protection And Development Of The Thermal Commons Of The Commonwealth (Rep. Owens)
Public Lands Protections & Municipal Reforestation
H.3494 / S.2243 An Act to improve outdoor lighting, conserve energy, and increase dark-sky visibility (Reps. Garballey, Cataldo | Sen. Creem)
H.1003 / S.586 An Act relative to maintaining adequate water supplies through effective drought management (Reps. Meschino, Rogers | Sen. Eldridge)
H.1005 / S.549 An Act Investing in Natural and Working Lands (Rep. Meschino | Sen. Comerford)
Pesticides
H.985 / S.547 An Act Establishing An Ecologically-Based Mosquito Management Program In The Commonwealth To Protect Public Health (Rep. Domb | Sen. Lewis)
H.124 / S.64 An Act Relative To Improving Pesticide Protections For Massachusetts Schoolchildren (Rep. Gentile | Sen. Lewis)
H.950 / S.625 An Act Governing The Use Of Pesticides Containing The Herbicide Substance Glyphosate In The Commonwealth (Rep. Gentile | Sen. Lewis)
H.965 / S.644 An Act Restricting The Use Of Rodenticides In The Environment (Rep. Hawkins | Sen. Moore)
PFAS
H.109 / S.56 An Act Protecting Our Soil And Farms From PFAS Contamination (Rep. Arena-DeRosa | Sen. Comerford)
H.3339 / S.2187 An Act prohibiting state and municipal contracts for the purchase and installation of artificial turf fields (Rep. Gentile | Sen. Moore)
Plastics & Packaging
S.1477 / H.2394 (Sen. Barrett | Rep. Decker) & S.629 / H.912 (Sen. Lewis | Rep. Ciccolo) Acts to restrict the use of polystyrene
H.917 An Act Reducing Packaging Waste (Rep. Connolly)
Transportation
H.3448 / S.2358 An Act Setting Deadlines For School Bus And Public Fleet Electrification, And Programs To Encourage Electrification Of Private Fleets (Reps. Barber, Meschino | Sen. Crighton)
H.3723 / S.2433 An Act Electrifying Regional Transit Authorities (Rep. LeBoeuf | Sen. Oliveira)
H.3623 / S.2397 An Act relative to fare-free buses
H.3050 / S.2009 An Act relative to regional transportation ballot initiatives
S.2246 An Act aligning the commonwealth's transportation plans with its mandates and goals for reducing emissions and vehicle miles traveled
H.968 / S.556 An Act establishing a lithium-ion battery stewardship program
H.4166 An Act to evaluate transportation resiliency and progress towards meeting carbon emissions reductions benchmarks
H.3654 / S.2394 An Act restoring commuter rail to Cape Cod
Pensions
H.2811 An Act To Mandate The Review Of Climate Risk In Order To Protect Public Pension Beneficiaries And Taxpayers (Rep. Domb)
H.4127 An Act to establish the Pension Innovation Fund for intergenerational equity (Rep. Uyterhoeven)
H.4126 An Act to align public pensions with Massachusetts’ net zero future (Rep. Uyterhoeven)
Legal
H.1889 / S.1064 An Act to eliminate disparate impact
S.1245 An Act to empower communities against environmental damage
Solidarity Campaigns
H.575 / S.312 An Act prohibiting the use of Native American mascots by public schools in the Commonwealth
H.3292 / S.2113 An Act establishing an Indigenous Peoples Day
H.628 / S.444 An act relative to celebrating and teaching Native American cultures and history
H.649 / S.412 An Act providing for the creation of a permanent commission relative to the education of American Indian and Alaska Native residents of the Commonwealth
H.3597 / S.2335 An Act to protect Native American Heritage
H.2328 / S.1447 An Act enabling cities and towns to stabilize rents and protect tenants
H.1090 / S.765 An Act establishing a Massachusetts foreclosure prevention program
H.3110 / S.2033 An Act combating offshore tax avoidance