The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic released a new report, Beyond the 2020 Plan: A Review of the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan, in August 2013. The report presents a dozen concrete suggestions for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from 1990 levels by 2020, and 80% by 2050.
The Clinic’s suggestions in the new report go beyond those contained in the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020. For example, the report suggests that the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) should use its existing statutory authority to establish both a binding grading system for leaks from gas pipelines and mandatory timelines for leak repairs; that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), DPU, and the legislature each adopt suggested measures to promote electric vehicle use; and that the Commonwealth promote the transition to LED (light emitting diodes) public lighting both on municipal roads and on property managed by the Department of Transportation, Department of Conservation and Recreation, and other state agencies.
