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Mike Barrett

State Senator | Democrat | 3rd Middlesex District MA

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March 1, 2023 By Lily Barrett

Healey’s proposed budget a boon to education and the environment – GBH News

The major funding hike prompted Sen. Mike Barrett, a Lexington Democrat who co-chairs the Telecommunications, Energy and Utilities Committee, to call Healey’s plan “the best executive branch budget I’ve ever seen” and “a leap over anything a governor has proposed before.”

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March 1, 2023 By Lily Barrett

Rescuing the American Revolution’s big birthday – The Barrett Report, March 2023

Because I represent so many historic places, my district has a lot riding on 2025. But so do Boston, Cambridge, and Arlington — three other communities in the line of march on April 19th — plus Braintree, Salem, Marblehead, Gloucester, Framingham, Worcester, Somerville, and a host of other places important now and important then.

Beginning 24 months from now, we can expect scads of visitors, VIPs included. President Ulysses S. Grant came for the 100th, in 1875. President Gerald Ford came for the 200th, in 1975. All of which means trade for local businesses, not to mention justified pride, which will be good, and crowds and traffic and security costs, which will be problematic.

The House and the Senate will work plenty of changes to this supplemental budget, which contains a number of important other items. But here’s hoping everyone receiving this message will speak out and help carry this $2 million for “Rev 250” across the finish line.

Read The Barrett Report…

Filed Under: News-Posts

February 27, 2023 By Lily Barrett

Massachusetts energy efficiency programs should shift focus to emissions, critics say – Energy News Network

Barrett’s bill would essentially reorganize the program from the ground up. The proposal would create an entity dubbed the “commonwealth clean heat initiative” — though Barrett said he would expect day-to-day operations to continue under the brand name Mass Save, which has wide recognition in the state.

The initiative would be governed by a chief executive officer and a board of directors including representatives from the state energy, environment, and housing offices; the energy efficiency advisory council; the Metropolitan Area Planning Council; and the utilities. At least three board members would live in Boston, a low-income area, or a so-called Gateway City, a designation that refers to midsize cities that were once manufacturing hubs. 

“We can’t have transitions off natural gas being run by the natural gas utilities,” Barrett said. “I want the utilities to still be at the table, but I don’t want them sitting at the head of the table.”

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February 23, 2023 By Lily Barrett

Lawmakers, advocates call for faster rollout on local fossil fuel bans – GBH News

“It’s important that state government permit the towns that want to do this to go forward as quickly as possible,” state Sen. Mike Barrett told GBH News. “The Legislature wrote this language because a handful of towns had already moved way out in front. The communities had gone through the laborious process of drafting local bylaws and ordinances.”

The state’s Department of Energy Resources released draft regulations and a model rule at the end of December, soliciting public comment up through last week. The law mandates that, for participating communities, both new construction and major renovations would have to be fossil fuel–free operations, with some exceptions for settings like research labs and hospitals.

Under DOER’s proposed regulations, municipalities that have already asked the state for permission to ban fossil fuels in new construction, via a home-rule petition sent to Beacon Hill, would need to wait until early 2024 at the earliest to implement their bans.

It “proposes to delay the entire process much longer than the Legislature ever imagined,” Barrett said.

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Filed Under: News-Posts

February 16, 2023 By Lily Barrett

With shelter system at capacity, state turns to Concord hotel for emergency use – Boston Globe

Senator Michael Barrett, who represents the area, said that while there is understandable confusion about the situation, the interest in helping “nicely counterbalances the angst.”

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Filed Under: News-Posts

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Senator Mike Barrett

Senator Mike Barrett

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Senator Mike Barrett
2 weeks ago
Senator Mike Barrett

Climate policymaking comes out ahead when the two branches of the MA Legislature are equally balanced. But if the House view described in this Commonwealth article prevails, and simple majority rule replaces the delicate power-sharing embedded in the process up to now, the "joint committees" of the Legislature lose their jointness. The best recourse then: Splitting into separate but parallel Senate and House Committees. Climate policy needn't suffer, so long as each branch acknowledges the equality of the other. (So why not do this upfront, by agreeing to follow the current parliamentary rules -- obscure but of crucial importance -- that have ensured parity until now?) ... See MoreSee Less

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House leaders pushing majority rule in joint committees - CommonWealth Magazine

commonwealthmagazine.org

HOUSE LEADERS appear to be pushing majority rule in most of the Legislature’s joint committees, bu...
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Senator Mike Barrett
2 weeks ago
Senator Mike Barrett

MassPort wants to be seen it as green. This proposal is its moment of truth. ... See MoreSee Less

Plan to expand hangar space for private jets at Hanscom sparks concerns about a surge in climate pollution - The Boston Globe

www.bostonglobe.com

Private jets are among the most polluting forms of transportation on the planet, catering mainly to ...
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Senator Mike Barrett Follow 3,222 4,203

State Senator for Bedford Carlisle Chelmsford Concord Lincoln Waltham Weston and a large part of Lexington. Senate Chair of the Committee on Energy.

senatorbarrett
Senator Mike Barrett @senatorbarrett ·
21 May 1660294098660519940

Thanks, Larry. This proposal is the test of MassPort's avowed commitment to go green. If the jets stay dirty, greening the hangar buildings will be little more than greenwashing.

Larry Chretien @LarryChretien

Plan to expand hangar space for private jets at Hanscom sparks concerns about a surge in climate pollution - The Boston Globe https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/20/science/plan-expand-hangar-space-private-jets-hanscom-sparks-concerns-about-surge-climate-pollution/

Reply on Twitter 1660294098660519940 Retweet on Twitter 1660294098660519940 0 Like on Twitter 1660294098660519940 2 Twitter 1660294098660519940
Senator Mike Barrett @senatorbarrett ·
21 May 1660266198599073792

MassPort wants to go green? It starts by greening the jets. Compared to the jets, greening the hangars is a meaningless piffle. "Plan to expand hangar space for private jets at Hanscom sparks concerns about a surge in climate pollution" https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/20/science/plan-expand-hangar-space-private-jets-hanscom-sparks-concerns-about-surge-climate-pollution/?event=event25 via… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1660266198599073792

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Plan to expand hangar space for private jets at Hanscom sparks concerns about a surge in climate...

Private jets are among the most polluting forms of transportation on the planet, catering mainly to the wealthy an...

www.bostonglobe.com

Reply on Twitter 1660266198599073792 Retweet on Twitter 1660266198599073792 11 Like on Twitter 1660266198599073792 16 Twitter 1660266198599073792
Senator Mike Barrett @senatorbarrett ·
21 May 1660265067986690048

With ominous implications for climate policy, this risks upsetting the delicate balance of power between the branches: House leaders pushing majority rule in joint committees - CommonWealth Magazine

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House leaders pushing majority rule in joint committees - CommonWealth Magazine

HOUSE LEADERS appear to be pushing majority rule in most of the Legislature’s joint committees, but the effort h...

commonwealthmagazine.org

Reply on Twitter 1660265067986690048 Retweet on Twitter 1660265067986690048 3 Like on Twitter 1660265067986690048 7 Twitter 1660265067986690048
Senator Mike Barrett @senatorbarrett ·
21 May 1660259311451340801

We're green! says MassPort. This proposal is its moment of truth. David Abel and Boston Globe, thank you.

Sabrina Shankman @shankman

Must read from @davabel on plans to expand hangar space for private jets at Hanscom and concerns that it will cause a surge in climate pollution https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/20/science/plan-expand-hangar-space-private-jets-hanscom-sparks-concerns-about-surge-climate-pollution/?event=event25 via @BostonGlobe

Reply on Twitter 1660259311451340801 Retweet on Twitter 1660259311451340801 1 Like on Twitter 1660259311451340801 5 Twitter 1660259311451340801
Senator Mike Barrett @senatorbarrett ·
21 May 1660258634184511488

MassPort wants to be seen as green. This proposal is its moment of truth: Plan to expand hangar space for private jets at Hanscom sparks concerns about a surge in climate pollution

Image for twitter card

Plan to expand hangar space for private jets at Hanscom sparks concerns about a surge in climate...

Private jets are among the most polluting forms of transportation on the planet, catering mainly to the wealthy an...

www.bostonglobe.com

Reply on Twitter 1660258634184511488 Retweet on Twitter 1660258634184511488 3 Like on Twitter 1660258634184511488 5 Twitter 1660258634184511488
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Mike Barrett

State Senator | Democrat | 3rd Middlesex District MA

Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lincoln,
Waltham, Weston, and a large part of Lexington

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