Indeed, if this project goes ahead, the likely carbon dioxide emissions from increased private jet flights would overwhelm the agency’s otherefforts to go green, said state Senator Michael Barrett, Democrat of Lexington, one of the authors of the state’s climate law.

“It will do so much reputational damage on an issue that is not going away in any of our lifetimes — climate change,” the senator said. “Why would Massport squander public credibility it is going to need on dozens of other issues down the line?

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Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington, the Senate chair of the Legislature’s Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy Committee, said he is concerned that sharply higher prices for offshore wind power could stall the state’s decarbonization effort, which is reliant on using clean electricity to displace fossil fuels in the transportation and heating sectors. 

“Competition means more than the number of developers bidding,” he said in a phone interview. “It means objective reliable evidence that developers are still bent on economizing and on giving New England consumers affordable rates. I want to see us move to high, high proportions of clean energy, but the long game here requires electricity prices that the public will accept. You don’t want to ignite a backlash against the entire climate policy project.”

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“I hope it’s been a good summer for you. As we move into fall, I want to tell you what I’m working on.” ~ Senator Barrett

Highlights:
* “Massport sends out press releases about being climate-conscious — it trumpets going ‘net zero’ in its buildings by 2031 — but the greenhouse gas effect of new jet flight operations in and out of Hanscom will swamp anything it might do on the ground.”

* “In August, Sen. Will Brownsberger and I went to sea (for six hours, anyway) to inspect a massive new development — 62 individual ‘rigs,’ or turbines, spread out over 118 square miles of ocean — all of them designed to generate clean electricity for Massachusetts.”

* “For me and other local legislators, a highlight is an amendment I offered to appropriate $1 million to celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, ignited in 1775 at the battles of Lexington and Concord.”

* “One of my most important jobs is to chair hearings on new ideas aimed at combating climate change. Together with my Vice Chair, Senator Mark Pacheco, I’ve taken testimony from hundreds of Massachusetts citizens on dozens of proposals — to promote clean energy, end the use of fossil fuels, green the heating of buildings, expand the electric grid, update the bottle bill, and more.”

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“With this first major round of funding, we can get serious about telling our story to the nation and the world,” State Senator Mike Barrett, chair of the finance subcommittee on the commission and a pivotal figure in encouraging the funds, said in a statement. 

The state’s celebrations, to take place in 2025, will be a major part of national commemorations marking the founding of the country. The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, also known as America250, was established by Congress in 2016. Massachusetts is one of 38 states that is partnering with America250 to orchestrate celebrations.

Lexington is anticipated to be a “key player,” a spokesperson for Sen. Barrett’s office told the LexObserver, attracting an influx of tourists locally and statewide because of the town’s historical importance. 

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Measures that would expand the existing  bottle bill are now before the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy, which is chaired by State Senator Mike Barrett, who represents parts of Lexington. Barrett told the Lexington Observer that he favors an expanded bottle bill and he is working with colleagues to bring the issue before the legislature this session.

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