BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Governor Baker signed a sweeping climate change bill into law at the State House on Friday.
The Governor signed the bill after over a year of back-and-forth negotiations between state lawmakers. He praised bipartisan support of the newly signed law that creates a net-zero limit on greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts by the year 2050.
"I'm proud to say that climate change has not been ever a partisan issue," Baker said. "We know the impacts on our coasts, on our fisheries on our farms and on our communities are real and demand action."
Baker said the work that went into the bill demonstrate that the Commonwealth is a "national leader" on climate issues.
"No other state in the country has engaged in this kind of work to map out a 30-year-plan to get to net zero," he said.
The law mandates increased development of energy from renewable sources like offshore wind and solar energy, and enforces the adoption of clean energy technology -- like the use of electric vehicles.
It also creates greater efficiency standards for appliances and improves gas pipeline safety, in the wake of the Merrimack Valley gas explosion in 2018.
WBZ NewsRadio's Mike Macklin (@mikemacklinwbz) reports.
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Written by Rachel Armany
(Photo: Getty Images)