Letter from the Massachusetts Sierra Club Legislative Committee

12/2/2025

Dear Chair Barrett and Chair Cusack of the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee, Chair Collins and Chair Cabral of the State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Committee, Chair Rausch and Chair Barber of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, and Chair Driscoll and Chair Decker of the Public Health Committee:

Our state is facing an unprecedented environmental crisis as climate change threatens our communities, pollution harms public health, and the loss of biodiversity degrades our natural lands. On top of this, we urgently need to build on our successes as we now face these issues alone due to the Trump administration's open partisan hostility towards climate change action and pro-pollution agenda. 

The time for action from the state legislature is now. We cannot back down from our climate goals and environmental protection laws. Massachusetts has been a national leader in climate mitigation efforts, enhancing air and water quality, and ensuring that our natural lands are kept both healthy and scenic. As the impacts of climate change worsen, it is necessary for us to act swiftly and strongly. 

The state has multiple solutions on the table, but we need you to support these priority bills and report them favorably out of committee. 

In the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy:

S.2239 An Act Prohibiting The Use Of Ratepayer Funds For Utility Lobbying, Promotions Or Perks (Sen. Creem): Gas and electric utilities should only charge customers for services necessary to provide safe, affordable, and reliable utility services. This bill will codify much-needed consumer protections by prohibiting utilities from charging ratepayers for political activities and lavish expenses.

H.3547 / S.2290 An Act Preventing Gas Expansion To Protect Climate, Community Health And Safety (Sen. Gomez | Reps. A. Ramos, Williams): 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.

In the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight:

H.3400 An Act Prohibiting The Use Of Ratepayer Funds For Utility Lobbying, Promotions Or Perks (Reps. Owens, Armini): Gas and electric utilities should only charge customers for services necessary to provide safe, affordable, and reliable utility services. This bill will codify much-needed consumer protections by prohibiting utilities from charging ratepayers for political activities and lavish expenses.

S.2099 An act to provide sunlight to state government (Sen. Eldridge): The bill would enact a host of transparency-related reforms, including requiring hearing dates to be posted at least two weeks in advance, allowing the public to request records of testimony, and requiring committee votes to be publicly reported.

In the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources: 

H.952 An Act relative to watershed forest protection (Rep. Gentile): 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 like carbon sequestration and storage, regulating local weather patterns, water absorption, filtration, and flood prevention, and supporting biodiverse habitats. 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.

In the Joint Committee on Public Health:

H.2450 / S.1504 An Act to protect Massachusetts public health from PFAS (Sen. Cyr | Rep. Hogan): Polyfluoroalkyls (PFAS), 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.

There are many worthy bills this session, and you can see additional supported legislation, including descriptions, here https://www.sierraclub.org/massachusetts/2025-2026-legislative-priorities.  

Thank you for being a climate champion. We need environmental leadership and courage to take on these pressing issues. Please support these bills and vote for favorable reports out of committee. 

Sincerely,