Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced his environment and
transportation legislative package, the second of four legislative packages the
City of Boston will be submitting to the Massachusetts Legislature. The
six-bill package will strengthen the Commonwealth's commitment to the goals set
out in the Paris Agreement and the City's goals to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Mayor Walsh's legislative agenda builds upon the work of the Administration to
ensure equity, opportunity and resilience for all residents by strengthening
current systems and creating new tools to adapt, mitigate and invest in local
transportation and the environment.
"Addressing the threat of climate change and making sure we keep up with
our transportation needs goes beyond city limits. That's why we must work
together with the Massachusetts Legislature on issues of climate mitigation and
adaptation, and do everything we can to address congestion and increase safety
in our streets," said Mayor Walsh. "I'm proud to propose legislation
that will explore incentives to reduce pollution and create a statewide vehicle
to work on resiliency projects, as well as proposals that would provide
investment in transportation infrastructure."
Mayor Walsh's second legislative package of the year
focuses on Boston's shared commitment and leadership with the Commonwealth to
be robust environmental stewards, strengthening our ability to address climate
change and its impacts. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to be in line with
the Paris Agreement while preparing for rising sea levels and extreme weather
events is a shared responsibility that requires immediate legislative action.
To that end, the environmental bills proposed seek to create a statewide
vehicle to work on resiliency projects and explore market incentives to reduce
pollution.
This work builds on Mayor Walsh's recent vision plan for
a Resilient
Boston Harbor. This comprehensive and transformative vision calls for
investing in Boston's waterfront to protect against the impacts of rising sea
level and climate change. The Mayor's plan lays out strategies along Boston's
47-mile shoreline that will increase access and open space along the waterfront
while better protecting the city during a major flooding event.
The City has already completed segments of the Resilient
Boston Harbor plan through district-level projects in East
Boston, Charlestown,
and South
Boston. These projects led to immediate action along the East Boston
Greenway where a deployable flood wall was installed last year, an elevated
section of Main St. in Charlestown was added to the design of the City's
Rutherford Ave. and Sullivan Square project, the ongoing planning for Moakley
Park in South Boston to prepare it for coastal and stormwater
flooding, and the construction of Martin's
Park in the Seaport, which is expected to be completed this year.
Most recently the City, in partnership with the Boston
Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), submitted its proposal for a $10
million FEMA pre-mitigation grant to begin resilience work along the Fort Point
Channel. As the City continues to make strides towards building a more climate-ready
Boston, it will begin its next district-level planning project for the
Downtown and North End neighborhoods early this year and begin the same work in
Dorchester later this year.
Furthering strengthening Mayor Walsh's commitment to
protecting Boston against rising sea levels and climate change, the City is
accelerating its progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The City of
Boston is committed to being carbon neutral by 2050. Early this year the City
will begin the
process to update its Climate Action Plan. The update will provide an
implementation roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality in Boston, identifying the
immediate next steps Boston must take to reach its goals. Most recently the
City rolled out its
regulation of single-use plastic bags, encouraging all customers to switch
to reusable bags when shopping in Boston and help move the City toward zero
waste. The City also took a big step forward in implementation
of Community Choice Energy by seeking proposals from qualified
consultants to develop a municipal energy aggregation program and by convening a
community-led working group to inform the program design.
As a leading city on climate action, the City was named
a winner of the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge as Boston
works to strengthen and accelerate its progress toward reducing carbon
emissions. The City will receive a support package, valued at up to $2.5
million, to increase low-carbon mobility choices and improve energy performance
of Boston's building sector.
"Massachusetts residents are already feeling the
impacts of climate change, from hotter summers to increased coastal flooding
and heavier rainfall. Our research has shown that to address these challenges
and protect vulnerable communities, we need partnership among local, regional
and state government," said Rebecca Herst, Executive Director of the
Sustainable Solutions Lab at UMass Boston. "We applaud Mayor Walsh for
proposing a comprehensive approach to protect communities throughout the
Commonwealth and encourage better governance for all."
"We applaud the Mayor's Regional Commission for a
Climate Ready Commonwealth that will tackle the very tough issues of how to
organize, finance and prioritize our critical responses to climate change.
Mayor Walsh continues to recognize that the time is now and we need to work
together to meet the challenge," said Kathy Abbott, President and CEO of
Boston Harbor Now.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL BILLS IN THE MAYOR'S
LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE INCLUDE:
An Act to Establish a Commission for a Climate
Ready Commonwealth: would create a regional
commission to determine which entity should lead major coastal and inland
resiliency projects, how such projects might be funded and how those projects
should be prioritized. Boston is not alone in facing the threat of climate
change, and all communities are experiencing the reality of extreme heat, snow,
rain, and flooding. As the impacts increase and intensify, it's more important
now than ever before to coordinate investments to adapt infrastructure and our
natural and built environment to future climate conditions.
An Act to Modernize our Natural Gas
Infrastructure: would impose a fine on natural gas
providers for the total volume of all gas leaks, incentivizing the utility
companies to update their infrastructure and providing revenue for
climate-ready municipal projects. Natural gas is a powerful greenhouse gas and
significant contributor to climate change. The City of Boston and all other
cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth have outdated and aging natural
gas infrastructure. Gas leaks not only harm the environment but are a public
safety issue, public health concern, and financial burden to ratepayers.
TRANSPORTATION
As Boston's population continues to grow, with projected
growth to reach almost 760,000 people by the year 2030, Mayor Walsh is
proposing four transportation bills aimed at efficiently supporting residents
by providing investment in transportation infrastructure, reducing carbon
emissions from motor vehicles, and providing for safer streets.
The bills further goals established in Go
Boston 2030, the City of Boston's comprehensive transportation plan.
Execution of the plan is well underway with action being taken on more than
half of the 58 projects and policies identified. These initiatives work to
reduce traffic, encourage travel by transit, bike and on foot, and ensure
safety and access equitably for all users of Boston's streets.
Examples include partnering with the MBTA to promote the
use of public transit by establishing a dedicated bus lane on a section of
Washington Street in Roslindale that serves eight different bus lines carrying
thousands of passengers daily; incorporating new techniques and upgraded
equipment into roadway projects to advance our Vision Zero goal of eliminating
traffic fatalities and severe injuries in Boston by 2030; and working to build
a network of low stress, strategically placed, separated or buffered bike lanes
to allow for safe travel by bike throughout Downtown and Boston's
neighborhoods.
"Mayor Walsh's legislative agenda is comprehensive and
future-oriented," said Marc Draisen, Executive Director of the
Metropolitan Area Planning Council. "It includes incentives to address
climate and transportation issues, as well as penalties for behavior that
stands in the way of progress. We are particularly pleased that the City of
Boston will support Regional Ballot Initiatives to generate revenue for
critical improvements in our transportation infrastructure. This is a major
source of revenue for roads and transit around the country, and we need this
tool in Massachusetts too."
THE TRANSPORTATION BILLS IN THE MAYOR'S
LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE INCLUDE:
An Act to Allow Regional Ballot Initiatives: would
allow cities and towns in Massachusetts to work together to pass taxes that
would be used to fund specific transportation projects.
An Act to Promote Safe Streets and Reduce
Congestion: would allow photo enforcement for school buses
with cameras to capture violations when the STOP arm is deployed and for
addressing Blocking the Box traffic violations. This bill is part of a broader
road safety legislative agenda, which includes support of previously-filed
bills related to sideguards on trucks and cell phone use while driving.
An Act to Allow Parking Assessments for
Infrastructure Investment: would allow cities and towns
to add an assessment to spaces in private parking garages, to be used to build
and maintain roads and bridges, as well as bicycle and pedestrian
infrastructure.
An Act to Update Transportation Network Company
Assessments: would update the existing TNC legislation
to better align it with the State's and City's climate and mobility
goals. In particular, it would create a lower assessment for shared
trips, a higher assessment for solo trips, and encourage walking, biking and
transit as primary modes of travel.
