The move disappointed but didn’t surprise lawmakers and advocates, who had feared the Republican governor would veto the bill, despite having laid out his own ambitious plan to achieve zero emissions by 2050.
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By Jon Chesto Globe Staff,Updated January 12, 2021, 7:26 p.m.
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Governor Charlie Baker spoke during a panel conversation in early 2020. He has until the end of the day Thursday to sign or reject the climate and energy bill passed by the Legislature last week.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
A business-backed lobbying push over one controversial provision could end up sinking a far-reaching climate and energy bill that the Massachusetts Legislature passed on the penultimate day of its two-year session.
Pressured by Industry, Baker Considers Veto of Climate Bill bankerandtradesman.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bankerandtradesman.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
At the heart of the bill is the state's greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2050 and the legislation trains the state's attention on the work of getting there.
Traffic was very minimal midday on Tuesday, April 7 in Boston. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Massachusetts is already committed to eliminating its net carbon emissions by 2050 but that s a long way off. So as 2020 draws to a close, state officials are proposing an interim goal: to shrink the state s carbon footprint down to at least 45% of its 1990 level in the next decade.
The state s old habits of transportation, home construction and energy generation would have to change some profoundly to meet even that target by 2030.
But officials say it can be done with help from businesses and neighboring states, and without putting too much strain on an economy still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.