HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3089        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3564

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Dylan Fernandes and Julian Cyr

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to Massachusetts participation in the Paris Climate Agreement's Green House Gas Emission Standards.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3089        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3564

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

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An Act relative to Massachusetts participation in the Paris Climate Agreement's Green House Gas Emission Standards.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. The General Court hereby finds and declares that the commonwealth recognizes the importance of international cooperation in addressing climate change, which is a common concern of humankind, and the importance of the global initiative to provide an up-to-date, transparent global picture of efforts to tackle climate change from state and regional governments.

SECTION 2. Section 1 of chapter 21N of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the definition of “Market-based compliance mechanism” the following 3 definitions:-

“Non-Party stakeholder”, shall include civil society, the private sector, financial institutions, cities and other subnational authorities.

“Non-state Actor Zone for Climate Action” or “NAZCA”, the online CO2 emission data gathering tool developed by the United Nations with the governments of France and Peru for COP21.

“Paris Agreement”, the 2015 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

SECTION 3. Section 2 of said chapter 21N, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following subsection:-

(d) The department shall, as appropriate: (i) adopt rules and regulations that support efforts and actions to reduce emissions or to build resilience and decrease vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change, (ii) ensure that such actions and efforts meet or exceed the international guidelines set forth in the Paris Agreement, and (iii) document such efforts as a non-party stakeholder with the NAZCA platform.

SECTION 4. Section 5 of said chapter 21N, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-

The department shall also publish a biennial disclosure report of progress on climate change mitigation efforts in the commonwealth, and shall publish these findings in a method consistent with the NAZCA platform.

SECTION 5. Section 6 of said chapter 21N, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-

In promulgating regulations to implement its plan for climate change mitigation, the department shall strive to meet or exceed the standards adopted by the United Nations.