Latest news with #SierraClubMassachusetts
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
State delays enforcement of electric truck requirements
BOSTON (SHNS) – The Department of Environmental Protection announced Monday a delay in its enforcement of minimum electric truck sales requirements, a move cheered by cities and towns but condemned by clean energy and environmental advocates. Under the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation that Massachusetts adopted following California's lead in 2021, medium- and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers are required to produce and make available for sale a gradually-increasing percentage of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) starting in model year 2025. Supporters say the ACT rule will improve air quality and help reduce emissions from the transportation sector. MassDEP said some truck manufacturers have said the sales requirements 'are too difficult to meet' and municipalities have sounded the alarm about the limited supply of clean trucks that are available to comply with the state's lower-emissions standards. DEP had already indicated it would be flexible about enforcement of some provisions, but said Monday that it 'will exercise enforcement discretion by not taking enforcement action against manufacturers that do not meet their Model Year 2025 or Model Year 2026' sales requirements as long as those manufacturers continue to provide internal combustion vehicles to distributors. 'While manufacturers were involved in developing the ACT framework, they now indicate that ACT requirements are too difficult to meet. Some manufacturers are limiting ICE truck sales as a means to ensure their compliance with ACT sales requirements, reducing availability to a wide range of users,' MassDEP said. 'Further, the current federal administration has created significant uncertainty around ZEV incentives, charging investments, manufacturing and tariffs, each of which threaten a smooth transition to medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs.' DEP's announcement was hammered by Sierra Club Massachusetts, which said the action will delay health benefits to millions of Bay Staters as part of a 'deliberate, national effort by manufacturers to create a false compliance crisis to stall progress on the shift to clean vehicles.' 'Diesel trucks are a health risk Massachusetts cannot willfully ignore,' Vick Mohanka, Sierra Club Massachusetts's director, said. 'Delaying the transition to cleaner, more efficient trucks is misguided and will have a detrimental impact on the well-being of our local communities. Study after study shows the devastating impact of highly emitting diesel trucks, especially to infants & young children. Truck manufacturers must be held accountable for their attempts to obstruct the necessary transition to cleaner trucks that lower fuel costs and emissions.' Adam Chapdelaine, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, told lawmakers last month municipalities were worried about their ability to buy the trucks necessary to plow roads, collect trash and more as manufacturers focused on their EV sales mandates. He said Monday that municipalities appreciate DEP's 'recognition of the market forces that are impacting the ACT initiative.' 'Local leaders feel the direct impacts of climate change and share the Commonwealth's commitment to reducing emissions, but also must balance the realities of tight municipal budgets and the need to reliably provide essential services to residents,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mass. environmental group seek swifter action on high energy bills
Do more and do it faster. That's the message from some Massachusetts environmental groups to state officials on energy bills On Tuesday they sent a letter to Governor Maura Healey and Secretary Rebecca Tepper with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The letter included the steps they believe will save people more money now. 'It's not fast enough to help with energy burden,' said Vick Mohanka with the Sierra Club Massachusetts. As soaring bills have busted many budgets this winter, the Sierra Club MA and other environmental justice groups sent a letter to the state Tuesday with 7 seven action items to reduce those costs and reliance on fossil fuels. Item one, reduce spending on infrastructure under the gas safety enhancement plan. 'It's 100% on our bills and we're paying more profits on this than other states,' said Mohanka Mohanka says while the Massachusetts grid is old and some safety enhancements are necessary, consumers today shouldn't fund decades of future service. The letter also asks for an end to ratepayer-funded gas line extensions. The groups claim, 'Massachusetts gas customers were charged $160 million to hook up additional buildings to the gas system, an average cost of nearly $10,000 per new customer for infrastructure that only serves those customers.' And it says in hidden in distribution charges. '…gas companies are charging ratepayers for their lobbying, advertising, and other expenses…' 'Almost 6 billion dollars we're gonna save, money back to you,' said Governor Maura Healey on March 10th in Lowell during an event to unveil her administration's energy affordability agenda. It includes a $50 credit on April energy bills, automatic enrollment in discount plans based on income, and a $500 million dollar cut to the Mass Save program which rebates drive energy efficiency. 'I did a few weeks ago ask that we take a look at that, in this moment that we're in the high prices and volatility and that's why we saw some savings come off of Mass Save,' Healey said during the event. 'The Mass Save rate goes toward reducing our energy consumption and reliance on gas the distribution rate is where the profits are for the utility companies,' says Mohanka. The Governor's team is drafting an energy affordability bill for this session. Her office provided the following statement to Boston 25 News: 'Energy costs are too high in Massachusetts and Governor Healey is focused on bringing them down. Governor Healey has already taken action to lower people's bills by $220 million in March and April, and her plan would save nearly $6 billion for electric and gas customers over the next five years. She also agrees that more needs to be done. Governor Healey will be filing legislation in the coming weeks to lower costs further, and she appreciates everyone's ideas and advocacy on this important issue.' spokesperson for Governor Healey's office This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mass. environmental group seek swifter action on high energy bills
Do more and do it faster. That's the message from some Massachusetts environmental groups to state officials on energy bills On Tuesday they sent a letter to Governor Maura Healey and Secretary Rebecca Tepper with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The letter included the steps they believe will save people more money now. 'It's not fast enough to help with energy burden,' said Vick Mohanka with the Sierra Club Massachusetts. As soaring bills have busted many budgets this winter, the Sierra Club MA and other environmental justice groups sent a letter to the state Tuesday with 7 seven action items to reduce those costs and reliance on fossil fuels. Item one, reduce spending on infrastructure under the gas safety enhancement plan. 'It's 100% on our bills and we're paying more profits on this than other states,' said Mohanka Mohanka says while the Massachusetts grid is old and some safety enhancements are necessary, consumers today shouldn't fund decades of future service. The letter also asks for an end to ratepayer-funded gas line extensions. The groups claim, 'Massachusetts gas customers were charged $160 million to hook up additional buildings to the gas system, an average cost of nearly $10,000 per new customer for infrastructure that only serves those customers.' And it says in hidden in distribution charges. '…gas companies are charging ratepayers for their lobbying, advertising, and other expenses…' 'Almost 6 billion dollars we're gonna save, money back to you,' said Governor Maura Healey on March 10th in Lowell during an event to unveil her administration's energy affordability agenda. It includes a $50 credit on April energy bills, automatic enrollment in discount plans based on income, and a $500 million dollar cut to the Mass Save program which rebates drive energy efficiency. 'I did a few weeks ago ask that we take a look at that, in this moment that we're in the high prices and volatility and that's why we saw some savings come off of Mass Save,' Healey said during the event. 'The Mass Save rate goes toward reducing our energy consumption and reliance on gas the distribution rate is where the profits are for the utility companies,' says Mohanka. The Governor's team is drafting an energy affordability bill for this session. Her office provided the following statement to Boston 25 News: 'Energy costs are too high in Massachusetts and Governor Healey is focused on bringing them down. Governor Healey has already taken action to lower people's bills by $220 million in March and April, and her plan would save nearly $6 billion for electric and gas customers over the next five years. She also agrees that more needs to be done. Governor Healey will be filing legislation in the coming weeks to lower costs further, and she appreciates everyone's ideas and advocacy on this important issue.' spokesperson for Governor Healey's office This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
