On Wednesday, April 2
nd, CREW Boston’s Sustainability Group welcomed Michael Judge, Massachusetts Undersecretary for Energy in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, as he gave members an introduction to the new Massachusetts Climate Law.
Since March 2023, Judge has served as Undersecretary of Energy. Prior to his current role, he was the Vice President for Policy for the Coalition of Community Solar Access (CCSA), managing its Policy Team and leading its policy advocacy at the federal level and across more than 20 states in which the organization’s members are active. Before his time at CCSA, he spent over 12 years in various roles in the Massachusetts state government, including over two years as Director of Electric Power, Regional, and Federal Affairs at the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU). He also spent over nine years at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources 5 (DOER), including four years as Director of its Renewable and Alternative Energy Division. He holds two bachelor’s degrees from UMass Amherst and lives in Boston.
In late 2024, the transformational Climate Law as Chapter 239 of 2024 was signed by Governor Healey. Statements of support for the Act have been provided by a wide range of interest holders, including:
- Alicia Barton, CEO of Vineyard Offshore
- JD Chesloff, President & CEO, Massachusetts Business Roundtable
- Catherine Finneran, Vice President, Transmission Project Development, Siting and Project Services, Eversource Energy
- Mary Beth Gentleman, Chair, CEISP Siting Practitioner Advisory Group
- Steve Long, Director of Policy and Partnerships, The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts
- Michelle Manion, Mass Audubon’s Vice President for Policy & Advocacy
- David Melly, Legislative Director, Environmental League Massachusetts
- Kyle Murray, Director, State Program Implementation and Massachusetts Program Director, Acadia Center
- Jessica Robertson, Director of Policy & Business Development for New England, New Leaf Energy
- Caitlin Peale Sloan, Vice President of Conservation Law Foundation Massachusetts
- Lizzi Weyant, MAPC Deputy Executive Director
- Lisa Wieland, President, National Grid New England
Held at Turner Construction Company, members enjoyed some light breakfast while Judge dove into the key elements of the Act, including:
- Reforming siting and permitting for clean energy projects to allow construction at rate necessary to meet our state’s ambitious emissions reduction goals involving wind, solar, storage, and other electric infrastructure like substations and transmission.
- Environmental justice informed requirements for cumulative impact analysis for clean energy projects.
- Establishing a fund for under-resourced organizations to engage in the siting process and in proceedings before the Department of Public Utilities (DPU).
- Commonwealth to reduce embodied carbon in its procurement supply chains. By purchasing materials like steel, cement, wood, glass, and asphalt manufactured in new ways that emit far fewer greenhouse gases.
A big thanks to Undersecretary Judge for spending the morning with us and to Turner Construction Company for hosting!
