Jenny’s Climate Plan

In Massachusetts, the 2021 Climate Act provides a solid roadmap, but how we get there requires thoughtful approaches to decarbonizing our communities and building a healthier planet for future generations:

• Foster Resilient Communities: First, we need to tackle the damage that has already been done by climate change, shoring up coastal structures that are badly in need of repair, incorporating sea level rise projections by 2070 so that we are not caught in a cycle of spending taxpayer dollars to repair the same locations repeatedly. New waterfront development needs to be thoughtfully considered, perhaps avoided when possible. Critical infrastructure vulnerable to sea level rise and increasing storm intensity needs to be protected or repositioned. 

• Clean the Grid: We need to ensure a rapidly increasing supply of renewable energy—wind, solar, hydroelectric sources to reach a 100% carbon free electric grid- (near term this will require continued use of existing nuclear plants) along with immediately incorporating battery storage as a major part of the grid. It is imperative that we put the brakes on the Peaker plant being built in Peabody for the provision of power to 14 communities, including Marblehead. There is a much greater capacity to use large batteries to store energy than when the Peaker plant was designed in 2015. Evaluating using a battery energy storage system (BESS) (as is being done in many other states to supply electricity during times of peak demand) instead of a gas and oil fueled plant, should be done before the Peaker plant project moves forward. 

• Build a Better Building Code: Buildings represent 27 percent of the state’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. How we build matters, which is why the state must give communities the option of experimenting with all-electric building codes. Net zero building codes for new construction is low-hanging fruit that should be picked immediately. For older buildings, which is a large part of our district's housing stock, incentivizing and subsidizing retrofits, and requiring and subsidizing additions and renovations to meet Net zero building codes are hugely important steps to reduce emissions.

• Electrify Public Transportation: For the North Shore, a cleaner, faster MBTA line would make rail commuting a more attractive option for workers. State Senator Brendan Crighton’s amendment to the Senate’s recently-passed climate bill creates a much-needed hard stop at 2030 for purchasing diesel-powered trains. Converting the MBTA buses to electric is another urgent step forward.

• Incentivize Electric Vehicles: We can help accelerate sales of EV’s by boosting the state rebate and by installing many more EV charging stations. State government itself needs to end its own purchase of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles.

• Explore Carbon Pricing:  The price of renewables is higher than fossil fuels because we fail to incorporate the social and environmental costs of carbon emissions into the cost of “natural” gas, oil, diesel, gasoline. There are different ways to do it: a cap-and-trade system, or taxation at the source and rebates to lower income households. And there are a variety of considerations: How much does emitting a ton of carbon cost? Who pays? These questions need to be explored at the state and national levels.

• Sequester Carbon: Planting trees is a natural climate solution that pulls carbon pollution from the air. Trees also cool homes and streets during major heat events (ISO-New England recorded 30 such days in 2021). Former Rep. Lori Ehrlich introduced legislation to establish a municipal reforestation program, which I will continue to pursue if elected.

• Reduce Single-Use Plastic and Encourage Green Boating & Recreation: With 17 billion tons of plastic dumped in the ocean every year, reducing plastic pollution requires behavioral changes of every human, especially when we are utilizing our water, beaches, and other natural spaces for recreation. 

• Clean Up King’s Beach in Lynn and Swampscott: Every citizen of our coastal district deserves to enjoy clean, healthy beaches, but Lynn’s only beach—King’s Beach—consistently ranks as the second dirtiest in the Commonwealth. King’s Beach is also a part of Swampscott. High bacteria levels are due to stormwater outfalls contaminated by aging sewage infrastructure in both communities. Former Rep. Ehrlich and State Senator Brendan Crighton secured $5 million in ARPA funds to help address the problem. I will continue their tireless work to find solutions and secure funding at both the state and federal levels.

Our state’s unparalleled intellectual resources and spirit of innovation give me hope that we will find solutions to our pressing environmental challenges. The state’s clean energy sector has grown 86 percent since 2010 and currently employs more than 100,000 people. With the right investment and leadership, these numbers will only increase over the next several years—as will our ability to tackle climate change and environmental degradation.