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Dear Editor,

Rep. Christine Barber is right: “it is easy to feel distraught and cut off by what is happening at the federal level.” She’s also right that positive change is possible here. But she could add that taking personal action locally quashes feelings of powerlessness and despair. Barber must model for her constituents how to take effective actions.

For example, regarding one issue, Barber noted she’s working on a bill to incentivize utilities fixing gas leaks. That’s nice, but not enough.

In addition, Barber should join my representative Frank Smizik, who has long been a leader on climate legislation, in supporting an omnibus energy and climate bill just introduced by Senators Pacheco and Eldridge (An Act to promote a clean energy future, S.479). This bill tackles more than just gas leaks. It bans new gas pipeline infrastructure, protects ratepayers from pipeline taxes, eliminates caps on solar net metering, sets emissions targets for 2030 and 2040, sets essential energy storage goals, accelerates plans for wind power,  accelerates electrification of transportation, and requires the administration institute a market-based carbon-pricing system–of Governor Baker’s choice–to begin by 2021 for the transportation sector, 2022 for the industrial sector, and 2023 for residential development. And the bill does much more.

Readers should please urge Barber to support this omnibus energy and climate bill.

It’s critical to helping us feel better now.

Judy Weiss
Brookline, MA