Alliance members are working to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius by reducing emissions, accelerating action, centering equity, and tracking progress. 

Explore Massachusetts's policies and actions across the Alliance's 10 key policy areas. Numbers presented below only reflect the number of policies in this database and thus may not reflect all climate policies pursued.

This database is for informational purposes only. An up to date and complete list of programs with additional detail can be found at [MA Climate Change Clearinghouse](https://resilientma.mass.gov/home.html) and [Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions](https://www.mass.gov/mitigating-greenhouse-gas-emissions).

massachusetts

GHG Targets + Governance

Just Transition + Equity

Industry

Pricing Carbon + Valuing Damages

Electricity

Transportation

Resilience

Natural + Working Lands

Climate Finance

Buildings

total

DCR Awards More Than $400,000 to Seven Environmental Justice Communities to Expand Urban Tree Canopy

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) announced the agency is awarding more than $426,000 to seven organizations to increase the urban tree canopy in environmental justice communities across the state. DCR is awarding the funding through the agency’s Urban and Community Forestry Environmental Justice Grant Program.

Energy Affordability Agenda

Governor Healy released an Energy Affordability Agenda to help lower consumer utility bills, reduce spending, and stabilize prices. The plan will provide $220 million in immediate relief to customers through a one-time credit to electric bills and a gas rate adjustment. In addition to expanding consumer access to existing electric rates for low-income residents, heat pump customers, and EV customers, the plan calls of the DPU to develop discount electric rates for moderate-income customer, a first in the country. The plan would also identify ways to reduce costs on utility bills and stabilize prices and is expected to save residents and businesses $5.8 billion over the next five years.

SB 2967: An Act Promoting A Clean Energy Grid, Advancing Equity and Protecting Ratepayers

The bill includes recommendations from the Commission on Energy Infrastructure Siting and Permitting intended to help expedite the development of clean energy infrastructure across Massachusetts.

The bill would require all cities and towns to approve small clean energy infrastructure project applications through a mandated consolidated permitting process within 12 months. Should a municipality not act within that time frame, the permit would be automatically approved, allowing the project to operate under standard conditions. Small clean energy infrastructure is defined as generation projects under 25 megawatts and clean energy infrastructure storage projects under 100 megawatt hours.

Permitting for large clean energy projects would also follow a consolidated process overseen by a reformed Energy Facilities Siting Board, with approvals due within 15 months of receipt of a complete application.

Directs the Department of Public Utilities to open a proceeding to facilitate right-of-way or pole-mounted electric vehicle supply equipment throughout the commonwealth not later than July 31, 2025, and for electric distribution companies to file plans to establish such equipment throughout the commonwealth by December 31, 2025.

The law also makes improvements to equitable siting and the community engagement process, which has historically been challenging to navigate. Municipalities will be granted automatic intervenor status in EFSB proceedings. A fund to support municipalities, organizations, and individuals who lack the resources will benefit from a new fund to support their needs for qualified legal representation and expert analysis. The EFSB will also require a cumulative impact analysis for projects seeking to site in environmental justice communities, so that no neighborhood becomes overburdened with infrastructure that the entire state benefits from. The Office of Environmental Justice and Equity and the Division of Public Participation at the Department of Public Utilities – both established under Governor Healey – will be enshrined in law.

Section 4 of the law also establishes multiple embodied carbon policies, setting up the state to develop a buy clean program.

The Massachusetts Office of Environmental Justice and Equity (OEJE) is committed to ensuring a fair and equitable distribution of all environmental and energy benefits and burdens. They work with all agencies under the Secretary to ensure every policy and program is designed with equity at the center, ensuring all voices are heard and all voices are shaping the solutions.

Office of Environmental Justice and Equity

The council is required to: develop an embodied carbon reduction plan, which will recommend requiring major building and transportation projects to collect EPDs; use low-carbon materials - especially cement, concrete, steel, glass, asphalt, and wood; recommend a process to set GWP values for these materials on or before January 1, 2026; develop EPD procurement procedures for state government; examine interactions with other laws, including ways to integrate embodied carbon reduction into the state building codes; and study best practices to increase building reuse.

Embodied carbon intergovernmental coordinating council

environmental_justice

The Energy Affordability, Independence, and Innovation Act

Includes proposals to eliminate and reduce certain charges on the bill, take steps to create accountability and ensure utilities are not passing unnecessary costs onto ratepayers, and reduce barriers to new cutting-edge nuclear technologies. The proposal is estimated to save Massachusetts customers approximately $10 billion over 10 years, on top of the $6 billion in savings estimated from the Energy Affordability Agenda.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Urban & Community Forestry is soliciting grant applications for the purpose of supporting tree planting efforts on public and private property in disadvantaged communities across the Commonwealth.