In an interview, state Sen. Michael Barrett, co-chair of the joint committee, said, “So far as we can tell, the transportation oversight division of the state DPU has 11 authorized positions. Only nine are filled at present. But this division has to cover a lot of ground.”

He said DPU already has a challenging task at hand dealing with the climate crisis and a potential move away from natural gas.

“You’ve got the possibility that the overarching climate crisis will crowd out safety monitoring” at the T, Barrett said. “But you’ve also got the equal possibility that a fire drill around a safety emergency will cause the DPU to backburner the climate issue.”

Read more…

“This isn’t a study undertaken by a liberal think tank. It’s not a study undertaken by the legislature. This is Charlie Baker’s Department of Energy Resources, reassuring us that the all-electric house is more affordable,” said state Senator Michael Barrett, a Democrat from Lexington, who negotiated the bill along with State Representative Jeffrey Roy, a Franklin Democrat.

Read more…

According to state Senator Michael Barrett, who was a lead negotiator of the climate bill, Boston was asked to file a petition months ago, as the climate bill was being crafted. The city opted not to, according to a spokesperson for Wu, because officials wanted to see the final bill before proceeding.

Slashing emissions from buildings represents a “real leadership opportunity” for the city — one that will be harder to achieve because of Boston’s hesitation in starting the process earlier, Barrett said.
…

If Boston — or any other city or town — is not able to be one of the 10 communities in the pilot, there will be some options still, Barrett said. The Legislature could expand the pilot with a new law or approve individualhome rule petitions.

“If the city of Boston puts its shoulder to the effort, it might be able to pull this off,” Barrett said.

Read more…

As the state recovers from two record-breaking heat waves, Senator Michael Barrett, a Democrat from Lexington and one of the bill’s architects, noted that the passage of the state legislation — along with the expected passage of the federal Inflation Reduction Act, with its $369 billion in energy and climate financing — should give people hope. “There’s plenty more to do, but nothing motivates like success,” he said.

Read more…

“It’s a great day for Massachusetts,” tweeted state Rep. Jeffrey N. Roy (D), who, along with state Sen. Mike Barrett (D) and others, helped move the bill through the legislature.

Read more…