News: The Boston Globe

When Governor Deval Patrick (D) came into office as Governor of Massachusetts last year, he faced some uphill battles as a result of sixteen years of conservative state leadership, and he’s still slogging through many of them. One on which significant progress can said to have been made, however, is that of climate change legislation. Once lagging behind other Northeast states in proactive legislation, Massachusetts is now stepping up to bat: announced today was the unveiling of a sweeping energy reform plan for the state.

Because the bill spent a great deal of time in negotiatons before release, sponsors of the bill are hopeful that it will see quick passage through State legislature (it will make it to the House next week, just under the gun for this year’s session). Among other provisions, the bill aims to:

- Cut total Mass energy consumption by 10% by 2017;

- Achieve 20% energy from renewable sources by 2020, a figure five times above current usage;

- Provide financial incentives, including tax breaks, for homeowners installing renewable energy systems and for hybrid car owners.