Bill > S1785

This bill aims to protect the environment and update climate action plans by prohibiting the use of coal in power generation facilities and the purchase of electricity from coal-fired plants, while also providing support for communities and workers affected by the transition away from coal. It defines terms like "fluid," "gas," "hydraulic fracturing," and "oil" to clarify regulations, and explicitly prohibits hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, and the handling of its byproducts within the commonwealth. Furthermore, the bill prevents the construction of new oil, coal, or fossil fuel generation facilities that would increase the state's carbon footprint, and mandates that public funds, specifically the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Trust, divest from fossil fuel companies within five years and cease acquiring new assets from them. It also amends climate action laws to include an economy-wide price on carbon, with revenue directed to a Clean Energy and Transportation Fund for public transportation and energy projects, and the remainder returned to residents through rebates. The bill also requires the identification of methane-emitting enterprises and the promotion of anaerobic digesters, sets a goal for solar energy generation, encourages the use of smart meters, mandates updates to the Stretch Energy Code, and directs the development of a clean fuel standard for transportation fuels to reduce carbon intensity.