Mass. Gov. Baker creates Commission on Clean Heat

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has established a Commission on Clean Heat to advise the Administration on strategies and policies to achieve deep emissions reductions from the use of heating fuels.

The commission is the first-of-its-kind in the United States. It will establish a framework for a long-term decline in emissions from heating fuels, consistent with the findings from the Administration’s 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap. It will also help the state meet the emissions reduction targets signed into law by Baker in March. It commits the Commonwealth to reducing emissions below 1990 levels by 50 percent by 2030, 75 percent by 2040, and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

“Recognizing the urgent challenge presented by climate change and the need to reduce emissions, our Administration is convening this first-of-its-kind commission to help the Commonwealth meet our emissions reduction goals,” Baker said. “By soliciting the expertise of leaders with a variety of perspectives, including the affordable housing community, we can ensure that the strategies and policies we pursue to reduce emissions from heating fuels will be innovative, affordable, and equitable.”

The commission will be chaired by Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides, or a designee, and will include up to 22 additional members appointed by the Governor. The commission will reflect a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds from outside stakeholders, including representatives from the fields of affordable housing, energy efficient building design and construction, healthcare, heating system design and technology, real estate, and heating fuel distribution.

“Massachusetts has ambitious climate goals, and we will need to pursue innovative solutions to reduce emissions from our heating fuels, keep costs low, and deliver lasting benefits to our communities,” Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said. “The Commission on Clean Heat will reflect a diversity of expertise that will be crucial in developing the forward-thinking policies we need to achieve our nation-leading emissions reduction targets.”

The commission will meet regularly, advise the Governor on a framework for long-term greenhouse gas emission reductions from heating fuels, and provide policy recommendations.

“By working directly with stakeholders and soliciting a variety of perspectives, Massachusetts will be in a stronger position to develop innovative policies and solutions to cost-effectively reduce emissions from heating homes and buildings,” Theoharides said. “The Executive Order signed by Governor Baker today once again puts Massachusetts on the leading edge of climate action in the U.S. by taking a deliberate, collaborative and thoughtful approach to decarbonizing our buildings sector.”

The commission will develop policy recommendations to accelerate the deployment of energy efficiency programs and clean heating systems in new and existing buildings and transition existing distribution systems to clean energy.  The focus will be on financing mechanisms, incentives, and other regulatory options including a framework for a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from heating fuels. Policy recommendations will be made by Nov. 30, 2022. The Executive Order also establishes an Interagency Building Decarbonization Task Force to support the work of the commission.