Photo: Courtesy of Governor Maura Healey.
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — On her first full day in office, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has put her signature on her first executive order, establishing the position of climate chief— the first of its kind in the nation.
Melissa Hoffer, who served as the Environmental Protection Agency's Principal Deputy General Counsel, filled that newly created role to answer directly to Healey. The governor says the climate chief will work to ensure that climate change is considered in every relevant decision-making processes.
"Massachusetts can and will be a global leader in the fight against climate change and will partner with businesses and workforce to build that climate corridor of research, innovation, manufacturing, across this state," Healey said.
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Hoffer's designation comes amid a large push to shift the state over to clean electrical energy sources by the end of the decade. It's because of that timetable, Healey said, that state officials had to move quickly.
"It was important to the lieutenant governor and I that we take this action immediately because we have no time to delay. The climate crisis threatens every aspect of Massachusetts life," Healey said.
WBZ's Madison Rogers (@madisonwbz) reports.
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