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The Massachusetts Senate approved my amendment to add additional staff to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The funds will allow for the hiring of two full-time employees at EEA to work on the implementation of the NextGen climate statute.

In total the Senate added funds for eight additional staffers: two each at EEA, as well as the Dept. of Public Utilities, the Dept. of Energy Resources, and the Dept. of Environmental Protection. Appreciative tip of the hat to Senator Michael Rodrigues, the mensch and marvelous W&M Chair who made this happen.

I have an Earth Day resolution: to join with grassroots activists to make sure the ambitious new climate law is implemented in full. It commits to the right Big Number — 50% fewer emissions by 2030. Let’s hope other states follow Massachusetts’ lead.

The pace of climate change is picking up — so the pace of climate policy must pick up. The Next-Gen Climate Roadmap law reflects the concerns of people of every age, from every part of the state. The grassroots climate movement of MA is a force to be reckoned with.

Special thanks to Senate President Karen E. Spilka and Speaker Ron Mariano, who know how to lead. Special nod to State Rep. Tom Tipa Golden and his successor, State Rep Jeff Roy, who know how to collaborate. And special shout-out to MA climate activists, who know how to mobilize.

It’s encouraging to see the town in which I live come together when members of our community are threatened. The incredible turnout at the Stop Asian Hate Vigil in Lexington communicates a message to all of us.

Looking out at the crowd reminded me that the United States of America is not a settled project. It’s a work in progress; it’s still being made. We take part in the making when we get together like this. We make America every time we vote. We do it every time we extend an act of kindness to a newer arrival. We do it by our presence at peaceful rallies. When I go back to my office in the State House, I’ll remember this event and the message you send by coming out on evenings like this, to state, loudly and clearly, that hatred directed against Asian-American threatens to undo the country we’re in the business of creating.

The Next-Generation Climate Roadmap bill reflects the concerns of people of every age, from every part of the state. The grassroots climate movement of Massachusetts is a force to be reckoned with.

Get the details on the bill, which has passed the Senate and House and is now on the governor’s desk:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/…/state-lawmakers…/…

Reducing emissions to net zero is the contribution Massachusetts must make to the nation’s, and the world’s, larger climate effort. No question, doing our part is a big lift. With the tools the Legislature brings together here, we can construct the response we need and provide a blueprint to other states.

The toolkit approach is not a vision statement. It is not abstract or general. It is detailed. It is concerned with the practical. It focuses relentlessly on the work of reducing greenhouse gases, creating jobs, and protecting the vulnerable. It’s about the “how'” of it, as in “Here’s how we get this done, one step at a time, starting now.”

The Next-Gen Roadmap directs the Department of Public Utilities, regulator of our natural gas and electric power companies, to give equal weight to greenhouse gas reductions and system safety alongside the traditional — and imperative — attention to affordability and stability of supply.