Bill > S1870

This bill aims to protect the environment and update the Commonwealth's climate action plan. It includes several key provisions: 1. Bans the use of coal for power generation and prohibits utilities from purchasing and selling electricity from coal-fired power plants, starting January 1, 2019. 2. Requires the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs to publish a plan to support communities that hosted operational coal plants and provide re-training and employment placement support for displaced coal plant workers. 3. Prohibits the construction or installation of new oil, coal, or fossil fuel generation facilities that would increase the state's carbon footprint, starting 180 days after the bill's enactment. 4. Requires the state's public pension fund to divest from fossil fuel companies within 5 years of the bill's effective date. 5. Amends the state's Global Warming Solutions Act to include an economy-wide price on carbon, with all revenue returned to Massachusetts residents through a rebate program. 6. Directs various state agencies to take actions to encourage the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and clean transportation fuels. 7. Establishes a goal of generating 20% of the state's total electricity from solar energy by 2025 and provides a framework for the Department of Energy Resources to develop a plan to achieve this goal.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/S1870