Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday directed his administration to confront climate change on two fronts, reducing greenhouse gas emissions contributing to the planetary warming trend and preparing the Bay State for the ravages of the climate future.
In response to a Supreme Judicial Court ruling in May, Baker issued an executive order directing the Department of Environmental Protection to establish new declining aggregate emission limits for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
The order requires the department to promulgate emissions reduction regulations taking into consideration reductions in leaks from the natural gas distribution system, emissions permits and the transportation sector, including state government’s vehicle fleet.
The order demands reports laying out the state strategy for energy and for climate change adaptation by September 2018, and encourages the state’s environmental and energy agencies to “lead by example” reducing their own carbon emissions.
The governor’s order bears some resemblance to legislation filed by Taunton Sen. Marc Pacheco and Brookline Rep. Frank Smizik, which would direct the state to develop a climate change adaptation plan and require that state permits be issued in accordance with that plan.
Pacheco, who praised Baker in a bipartisan display Friday, noted the order applies only within the executive branch and does not require that state permits be issued in harmony with the climate change plan.
“The essence of the comprehensive adaptation management plan is in the executive order. There are provisions that could not be in the executive order because they would need legislative approval,” Pacheco told the News Service. Pacheco said the Senate had passed the legislation three times, but it never cleared the House.
Smizik said the bill never cleared the House because “they didn’t agree with what this bill did,” and he said there are “more conflicts” between the Democratically-led House and Senate than between the Senate and the Republican administration.
Working jointly, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matt Beaton and Secretary of Public Safety and Security Dan Bennett are directed to develop a framework for each executive office and agency’s vulnerability to climate change, and a framework for municipalities to assess their vulnerabilities as well as providing cities and towns with technical assistance.
Baker said Bennett would play such a major role in the plan’s development in part because his office has jurisdiction over the building code.
The climate adaptation plan that Beaton and Bennett will develop will include climate trends, clear goals, guidance for building adaption and resiliency, and use of natural resources to boost preparedness.
