Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito speak at a press conference in July 2022. Photo: Mass. Governor's Office
BOSTON (State House News Service) — Gov. Charlie Baker has signed the compromise offshore wind and climate bill that lawmakers sent back to him July 31 after having addressed some of his initial concerns with it, the chief House sponsor of the bill said.
"The Governor has just signed H5060. It's a great day for Massachusetts," Rep. Jeff Roy tweeted around 2:20 p.m.
The new law seeks to reshape the way the state connects to offshore wind power, accelerate a transition to renewable energy sources and help Massachusetts achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050 -- all general goals that Baker and his administration have long supported, but the governor expressed concerns with the original bill the House and Senate sent him, and he returned it in late July with amendments, including a desire to put $750 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars toward clean energy uses.
While the Legislature did not adopt all of Baker's suggestions when they reworked the bill in the final hours, lawmakers did go along with some of the governor's suggestions like the outright elimination of the offshore wind price cap.
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