Sierra Club Applauds MA Supreme Judicial Court

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court sided yesterday with the plaintiffs, Conservation Law Foundation and Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, in a lawsuit about whether the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is doing enough to meet the mandates of its Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) of 2008. The state's highest court's unanimous decision found that the efforts of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection are falling short, stating that various greenhouse gas reduction programs such as RGGI, LEV and others fail to ensure mass-based reductions of greenhouse gases as intended by the Legislature. The GWSA requires Massachusetts to cut its greenhouse gases 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. The Sierra Club signed onto an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs.

In response, Cathy Buckley, Chair of the Massachusetts Sierra Club, issued the following statement:

"We applaud this decision by the Supreme Judicial Court. It underscores the need for Massachusetts to double down on renewable energy such as solar, wind and energy efficiency and to do much more to reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector. Investing billions of dollars in new fracked gas pipelines is the absolute wrong way to go and doesn't protect the community or the environment. Clean energy means jobs, and it means keeping energy dollars here at home. The Court has spoken - we look forward to supporting the Baker Administration in their efforts to ensure compliance with the Global Warming Solutions Act."