Climate Change

Massachusetts Unveils Climate Action Plan

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January 15, 2014

On January 14, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (pictured) presented a climate action plan for the state of Massachusetts. Patrick said during the announcement that climate change is no longer a "theoretical debate" and called for immediate action from the state. "The question is not whether we need to act. We're past that," Patrick said. "The world's climate is changing and human activity is contributing to that change. Massachusetts needs to be ready."

Included in the plan is a $40 million municipal resilience grant program, which will be administered by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to help the state's cities and towns prepare their energy services for extreme weather patterns, using technology such as clean energy and microgrids. To reduce the risks associated with sea level rises, the plan earmarks $10 million to restore Massachusetts coastlines, waterways, and infrastructure.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities was asked to assist utilities in determining how "to accelerate storm hardening and deploy micro-grids and resiliency projects" to ensure the transmission and distribution of energy.

The plan also calls for a statewide vulnerability assessment from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MDOT) by 2015, to help the MDOT identify and initialize climate adaptation procedures to protect facilities statewide. The Department of Conservation and Recreation will conduct an additional assessment of its historic parkways to identify which roads might be damaged by sea level rises. In addition, the plan includes the appointment of a state climatologist, and a website that lists resources to assist residents with climate preparedness.

Existing funds will pay for $48 million of the $50 million plan, with the remaining $2 million accounted for in Patrick’s 2015 budget proposal. Massachusetts has already begun experiencing the effects of climate change, including a rise in invasive insects due to warmer temperatures and an increase in extreme weather events.

Author: Alison Alford

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