Massachusetts is taking another step toward an energy-conscious future with the State Senate's passing Thursday of a major Climate Change bill that looks to have lasting positive effects. And State Senator Adams Hinds' part in the building of the bill is an important piece of the legislation.

Driving Climate Policy Forward...

According to a media release from the Office of State Senator Adam Hinds, amid alarming reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Massachusetts Senate on Thursday passed a major bill, S.2819, An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward, or the Drive Act. The bill addresses climate change in three primary areas—clean energy, transportation, and buildings—with the aim of achieving the Commonwealth’s ambitious goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, which the Legislature codified into law in 2021.

Senator Hinds was clear about the critical nature of this bill...

 

We are taking big steps because our climate crisis demands nothing less. The only way we transition to a green economy that creates jobs and reduces emissions is through the big investments and regulations laid out in this bill.

 

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Electric cars after 2035 in Massachusetts...

Included in the effort was Senator Hinds’ bill which would require every new car bought in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after 2035 to be electric.

 

We’re at a historical inflection point and we can barely envision the transportation industry of tomorrow. But with so much at stake Massachusetts must do its part to embrace this necessary turn. ~ State Senator Adam Hinds

 

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The three major areas addressing climate change (in brief):

Clean Energy - Around 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts come from the power plants that fuel its energy grid, making support for clean energy alternatives necessary to meet the Commonwealth’s goal of having net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Transportation - As the transportation sector is the largest source of fuel emissions in Massachusetts, the bill takes steps to encourage the use of electric vehicles, including codifying into statute, expanding, and allocating $100 million for the state’s MOR-EV electric vehicle incentive program, which provides rebates to individuals who purchase electric vehicles.

Buildings - To tackle the difficult issue of emissions from the building sector, the bill creates a 10 municipality demonstration project allowing all-electric building construction by local option. Participating municipalities must receive local approval before applying into the demonstration project.

 

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The iconic (and at times silly) toys, technologies, and electronics have been usurped since their grand entrance, either by advances in technology or breakthroughs in common sense. See how many things on this list trigger childhood memories—and which ones were here and gone so fast you missed them entirely.

 

LOOK: What major laws were passed the year you were born?

Data for this list was acquired from trusted online sources and news outlets. Read on to discover what major law was passed the year you were born and learn its name, the vote count (where relevant), and its impact and significance.

 

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

 

 

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