Environment

I’ve been awed by a sunrise vista from high atop a ridge in the Berkshires, inspired by pristine waters while paddling the upper Taunton River; transfixed by a glistening silver wall of herring sixty feet below Narragansett Bay at night, and watched with wonder as swooping osprey snatched fish from a tranquil cove just yards from my kayak. I’ve spent a lot of time exploring and enjoying the outdoors. For me, protecting the environment is personal. That’s why I have made it a priority to cosponsor and support many important environmental bills.   Here are some examples:

The Green Communities Act (passed 2008)This legislation is helping us lessen our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce energy consumption and lower energy bills.It is typically less expensive to invest in energy conservation than in new energy facilities such as power plants.  Under the Green Communities Act, Utility companies are now required to finance new cost-effective energy efficiency improvements. Utilities are now offering consumers rebates and subsidies for energy conservation improvements like weatherization, insulation or the purchase of more efficient appliances and equipment.

The Act promotes renewable energy by allowing homeowners (and others) to sell excess electricity generated by wind and solar panels back to the grid (”net-metering”) at favorable rates. It authorizes utilities to own and install solar energy systems on customers’ roofs, and - in order to provide a stable market for renewable energy - requires utilities to enter into 10-15 year contracts with renewable energy developers.

Also included are technical assistance and grants to local communities for efficiency and renewable energy, updated energy efficiency building codes, and higher targets for the renewable energy portfolios of utilities.

H3515 – Updated Bottle Bill - Massachusetts currently requires deposits on carbonated beverage containers.  But non-carbonated drinks such as bottled water, energy and flavored fruit drinks now account for a large and growing segment of the beverage industry and roadside litter.  The updated bottle bill would require deposits on these non-carbonated beverage containers.

H883 – An Act Relative to Producer Responsibility for Discarded Electronic Products –Currently most electronic waste (e-waste) - televisions, computers, DVD players, etc - ends up in landfills where it  leaches hazardous substances like lead and cadmium into our environment. Under this bill, producers would bare the responsibility for funding the proper disposal and recycling of discarded electronic equipment. (Currently, municipalities spend millions of dollars on processing e-waste.) By placing this responsibility on producers, our towns would save millions of dollars on collecting and properly recycling e-waste products. It would also encourage producers to design products that are easier to recycle.

H2161 –An Act to Require Environmentally Safe Alternatives to Harmful Cleaning Products –No matter what purpose we're using cleaning products for, they all end up down the drain, and back into our environment. This bill would restrict the usage of cleaning products in specified public buildings to a list of environmentally preferred products.

H834 – An Act Relative to Sustainable Water Resources – When too much water is diverted from rivers and streams for drinking or industrial uses, the reduced flow can have disastrous impacts on ecosystems. This bill requires the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt regulations establishing standards for restoring and maintaining stream flow in the rivers and streams of the Commonwealth. In addition, the bill updates the state’s dam safety statute, allows for municipal water banking and sets up a Special Water Infrastructure Finance Commission.

H757 - An Act for a competitive economy through safer alternatives to toxic chemicals - Thisbill would help Massachusetts businesses transition from dangerous toxic chemicals to safer alternatives (when they exist) by providing technical and financial assistance.  This will not only help protect the environment and workers' health, but also help Massachusetts businesses better compete in European markets where stricter safety regulations are already in effect.