House lawmakers on Wednesday are planning to debate a bill that would commit Massachusetts to the standards of the Paris Climate Agreement, months after President Donald Trump called the accord a bad deal for the United States.
Trump in June said the U.S. would pull out of the pact. The bill teed up for Wednesday (H 3564) calls on Massachusetts to meet or exceed guidelines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions set under the agreement.
"As the federal government takes a giant step back, it's time for Massachusetts to step up and lead. We must stand in solidarity with our global community and the effort to combat climate change, and that's exactly what our bill does," Rep. Dylan Fernandes, a first-term lawmaker from Falmouth who sponsored the bill, said at a June rally. "Effectively combating climate change isn't just about setting goals, it is about holding yourselves accountable to meet those goals."
Massachusetts has already joined a coalition of states committed to upholding the tenets of the accord, an announcement Gov. Charlie Baker made the day after Trump said the country would withdraw from the agreement because it "disadvantages the United States, to the exclusive benefit of other countries."
The Fernandes bill would also require the state to "publish a biennial disclosure report of progress on climate change mitigation efforts in the Commonwealth," in a method consistent with the online emissions data tool developed by the United Nations.
Massachusetts has long been part of a multi-state compact to reduce carbon emissions from power plants and the state is working towards reducing emissions and meeting the requirements of its own Global Warming Solutions Act, with plans in the works to tackle transportation sector emissions.
If the Fernandes bill becomes law, the state Legislature will be formally declaring "that the Commonwealth recognizes the importance of international cooperation in addressing climate change, which is a common concern of humankind, and the importance of the global initiative to provide an up-to-date, transparent global picture of efforts to tackle climate change from state and regional governments."
The House plans to meet at 11 a.m. Wednesday in a formal session, with recorded votes beginning at 1 p.m., according to an updated schedule sent out Tuesday. The schedule asked members to be ready to consider the Paris Agreement bill, pending a report from the House Ways and Means Committee.
The Senate also plans to take up a climate change bill this week. Amendments are due by 5 p.m. Wednesday to a bill (S 472) that calls for the state to develop a climate change adaptation plan. Baker ordered officials to put together an adaptation plan last year.
