Amy on the Issues

Addressing the Climate Crisis

Climate change is an existential crisis threatening all that we hold dear, including the very livability of our planet. The state legislature has passed important legislation regarding climate change, but there is much more we can and must do.

There are two primary areas for climate action: 

1) climate mitigation, which means reducing the causes of climate change, especially the burning of fossil fuels; and 
2) climate adaptation, which means protecting people and property and natural systems from the impacts of climate change that are already here. We must act boldly on both.

Climate Mitigation

The City of Newton has taken many steps to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, such as investing in energy efficiency and solar and heat pumps for our municipal and school buildings, switching our sedan fleet to EVs, and implementing Newton Power Choice. But to truly meet the urgency of the moment and reach the state goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, we must do much more, and we must have a partner on Beacon Hill to help us. 

Renewable Energy

1. Support more wind and solar projects and ensure they are appropriately sited, minimizing impact on the natural environment.

2. Increase our investment in the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).

3. Promote more energy storage opportunities to increase grid reliability.

4. Focus on the repair of leaky gas lines and cease investments in the replacement or installation of new gas lines; change financial incentives for investor-owned utilities such that they are financially rewarded for advancing renewable energy rather than methane gas.
   

Sustainable Development: With 30% of greenhouse gas emissions coming from existing buildings, it is critical that carbon emission standards are set if we are to reach our net-zero emission standards. We need to do the following:

1. Encourage retrofits through incentives and through the support of a green bank to provide funding for energy efficiency improvements for underserved communities.

2. Ban new fossil fuel hookups in all new construction, and increase incentives for clean energy upgrades in existing buildings.

3. Require emission reporting from existing buildings and set targets for reduction of their greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainable transportation:  40% of Massachusetts greenhouse gas emissions are from the transportation sector. We won’t meet our 2050 goal without tackling transportation. 

1. Increase investments to upgrade and expand our public transportation system, and electrify our rail and buses - including school buses.

2. Create safe and accessible alternative means of travel - including bike lanes, pedestrian paths, and trails.

3. Assist communities with electric car charging stations.
   

Waste Reduction:  Waste disposal is a large burden on city and town finances. Shifting responsibility for these costs to product and packaging manufacturers will help lower carbon emissions and lower the amount of trash that goes to our landfills, which are running out of space. We need to do the following:

1. Newton and many other communities have adopted bans on plastic bags, polystyrene, and miniature alcohol bottles. Not only has this reduced the amount of toxic plastic pollution in our environment, it has reduced the amount of litter on our parks and roadways. As your State Representative I will urge prohibitions on these forms of plastic pollution statewide. 

2. Expand the bottle bill.

3. Support food waste management and reduction.

Climate Adaptation

Newton is already seeing the impacts of climate change in the form of extreme heat, more frequent and severe flooding, increased incidence of drought, and more. The good news is there are things we can do to protect ourselves and our community. 

Flooding/Heat/Drought

Climate change is bringing more intense rainstorms, which overwhelm our stormwater system which was simply not built for the volume of rainwater entering stormwater pipes and culverts. It is also the case that many of our homes and buildings are built on filled-in wetlands; over 80% of Newton’s original wetlands are gone, and that is where the water is coming back to. (Remember the August 2023 storm in which dozens of cars were totaled in the Newton Free Library parking lot, which was historically a wetland.) 

We need to be changing how we treat our built environment, minimizing asphalt wherever possible, and investing in “nature-based solutions” – solutions that replicate nature and restore natural hydrology. Trees, rain gardens, bioswales are all examples of nature based solutions that reduce the risk of flooding by holding and infiltrating water rather than directing it to storm drains.  These nature based solutions also help reduce increasing temperatures and drought. Newton has taken baby steps toward this approach to our built environment, but with leadership from Beacon Hill, we could be moving with more urgency. 

1. I will work with State Sen. Cindy Creem for passage of her bill to provide financial incentives to cities and towns to take steps to invest in climate resilience. 
   

2. I will work with State Sen. Jamie Eldridge to advance his bill to make it easier for the Governor’s office to impose water conservation measures during periods of extreme drought. 

Check out my responses to the Environmental Forum