Barrett began the virtual hearing Wednesday morning by reminding the committee and those listening that the climate law requires the secretary of energy and environmental affairs to set emissions sublimits for the electric power, commercial and industrial heating and cooling, residential heating and cooling, and natural gas distribution and service sectors.
“The climate act provides the general context in which all these bills need to be thought about. As you all know, the House and the Senate, in the new climate act which became effective on June 25, indicated that Massachusetts has to curb emissions from buildings and that very soon, within the next nine months, the secretary must set emissions limits,” Barrett said. He added, “So four different sublimits will set the ground rules and will likely be effective by June of 2022 before any of the bills we’re hearing today become law, or more or less concurrently with their becoming law. So something to keep in mind that those emissions sublimits are going to have the force of law and provide context for everything we do.”
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