HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2144        FILED ON: 2/16/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3559

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Steven C. Owens and Christine P. Barber

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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 public transit electrification.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2144        FILED ON: 2/16/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3559

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act relative to public transit electrification.

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.

Section 1 of Chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following definitions:-

“Electric vehicles” are vehicles that rely solely on electric motors for propulsion and includes non-combustion vehicles.

“Zero-emission infrastructure” means electric battery chargers, trolleybus and railway catenary wire, and other equipment to support the operation of electric vehicles.

SECTION 2.

Chapter 21N is hereby amended by inserting after Section 7, the following sections:

Section 7½. To contribute to the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas reduction targets, the Secretary, in consultation with the department of energy resources, department of transportation, department of environmental protection, and department of public utilities, shall set and enforce targets for public fleet electrification.

(a)The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall operate a fully electric bus fleet by 2030 and meet the following interim targets: (i) 100 percent of all MBTA procurements shall be electric vehicles as defined in section 1 of chapter 90 by December 31, 2023; (ii) 40 percent of all MBTA buses should be electric by 2025; (iii) 60 percent of all MBTA buses should be electric by 2027; (iv) 80 percent of all MBTA buses should be electric by 2028; (v) 90 percent of all MBTA buses should be electric by 2029. The MBTA shall establish and meet goals for charging its bus infrastructure with renewable energy generating sources as defined in chapter 25A, section 11F.

(b)The MBTA shall work with the department of public health and department of environmental protection to establish air monitoring stations around bus maintenance facilities and to improve air quality around such facilities.

(c)The MBTA and its commuter rail contractor shall operate a fully electric commuter rail system by 2035.

(d)Regional transit authorities (RTAs) shall operate a fully electric bus fleet by 2035 and meet the following interim targets: (i) 100 percent of all RTA procurements shall be electric by December 31, 2026; (ii) 40 percent of all RTA  buses should be electric by 2025; (iii) 60 percent of all RTA buses should be electric by 2028; (iv) 80 percent of all RTA buses should be electric by 2032; (v) 90 percent of all RTA buses should be electric by 2034.

SECTION 2.

Chapter 161A is hereby amended by inserting the following paragraphs in section 7 after the term “under Section 6C”:

(a)The MBTA governing board shall establish deadlines for MBTA bus maintenance facilities to support an all electric bus fleet. Construction of new 100 percent electric bus garages and modernization of old garages, as needed for electric bus infrastructure, shall be complete at least one year prior to full bus fleet electrification in 2030.

(b)The MBTA governing board shall direct the MBTA to update and operate existing zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and to expand its zero-emission infrastructure. Removal of existing zero-emission infrastructure shall be permitted for temporary road, catenary, or public utility work. Any replacements for electric vehicles in operation must meet or exceed the availability of the current zero-emission fleet, with no auxiliary systems. For all diesel-electric hybrid buses, the MBTA shall develop robust monitoring about the locations where such buses are operating on diesel power versus electric power and provide this data to the public on a timely basis.

(c)The MBTA governing board shall direct the MBTA to operate electric buses with a priority for operating such buses on routes serving environmental justice populations. The MBTA governing board shall direct the MBTA to operate electric buses on bus routes serving residents of Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Somerville, Chinatown, Roxbury, Dorchester, Lynn, and Mattapan by 2025. The MBTA governing board shall direct MBTA staff to conduct robust community outreach and engagement with residents of environmental justice populations, municipal officials in cities and towns that have environmental justice populations, and with transportation and environmental justice advocates. The MBTA staff shall report to the MBTA governing board at least six times per year the progress of electrifying the bus and rail fleet. As part of the public reports, MBTA staff shall explain the cost analysis of all procurements of fossil fuel infrastructure and the reasons for procuring fossil fuel infrastructure in lieu of zero-emission infrastructure.

(d)The MBTA governing board shall electrify the commuter rail fleet in two phases.  Phase I includes electrification of the Providence Line, Fairmount Line, and Newburyport / Rockport Line at least through the Beverly Depot Station by December 31, 2024. Phase II includes electrification of the Framingham/Worcester Line by December 31, 2026; Middleborough/ Lakeville Line by December 31, 2027, and the remaining routes that pass through environmental justice populations, but do not offer passenger service by December 31, 2035:

(1)South Coast (Phase 2 via Downtown Taunton)

(2)Haverhill

(3)Lowell

(4)Fitchburg

(5)Franklin

(6)Plymouth/Kingston

(7)Greenbush

(8)Foxborough

(9)Newburyport/ Rockport (beyond Beverly Depot)

(10)Cape Cod Extension

(11)NH Capital Corridor

SECTION 3.

Section 6 of chapter 161B is hereby amended by adding after paragraph (r), the following paragraph:

(s) The authorities shall operate electric buses with a priority for operating such buses on routes serving environmental justice populations. Authorities shall conduct robust community outreach and engagement with residents of environmental justice populations, municipal officials in cities and towns that have environmental justice populations, and with transportation and environmental justice advocates. The authorities shall report annually to the Regional Transit Authority Council pursuant to Section 27 of chapter 161B the progress of electrifying the bus fleet. As part of the public reports, authorities shall explain the cost analysis of all procurements of fossil fuel infrastructure and the reasons for procuring internal combustion engines and fossil fuel infrastructure in lieu of electric vehicles and zero-emission infrastructure.