Heat pumps. Photo: EcoPhotography
November 30, 2022 (BOSTON, MA) – The Massachusetts Commission on Clean Heat has released a report calling for significant changes to reduce climate-damaging emissions from heating fuels in the state. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) released the following statement in response.
“We can’t burn our way out of this problem,” said Caitlin Peale Sloan, Vice President of CLF Massachusetts. “Burning oil and gas in our homes pollutes our air and worsens the effects of the climate crisis. The commission’s report is absolutely correct: we need to start planning now for a cleaner future without gas, whether it’s fossil gas or alternative methane gases.”
The commission’s report details the need to plan for a transition away from gas utilities in the coming years to create cleaner homes that run on electricity. The report also calls for reforms to the Mass Save weatherization and electrification programs that give control to a public Building Decarbonization Clearinghouse instead of utility companies. The need for equitable workforce development to make the necessary changes is also detailed in the report.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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