The threat posed by climate change requires the United States to take bold action to protect our planet and our future generations. That means both investing in short-term and long-term clean energy solutions and making practical decisions that protect households, ensure energy affordability, and improve the health, safety, and natural beauty of our communities on the ground. Climate change is impacting our region today, and the effects will only be more pronounced in the coming years.
Clean Energy Solutions. I’ll champion investments in athe widefull spectrum of clean energy technologies—from offshore and onshore wind, to responsibly sited and solar to advanced nuclear, fusion, and geothermal, to small-scale hydro — while building environmental resilience through targeted civil engineering projects throughout our district.
I will support the buildout of energy efficient, breathable, affordable homes and new buildings with clean energy heating and cooling systems. Massachusetts has the research institutions, skilled workforce, and innovative spirit to lead the nation in developing and deploying these technologies and programs to support worker training, development and transition to a clean energy opportunity economy. I will also support holding the corporations who are most responsible for causing global climate change financially accountable to pay for damages caused by climate driven extreme weather and the infrastructure improvements needed for resilience.
Additionally, while AI presents opportunities, we need to address the environmental impacts whereby data centers drive up the price of local energy. I will support increased regulation on the siting of AI data centers, aimed at reducing the burden on ratepayers and all residents of the significant demands on energy and land, the damaging impact on water supply, quality and community.
To make meaningful national progress, we need climate policies that will endure across multiple administrations and find support on both sides of the aisle. We need to work to generate broad bipartisan support for climate action that creates clean energy jobs, improves public health, and strengthens our communities.
As we accelerate the necessary transition to cleaner energy, we must ensure it remains affordable for families and businesses. I’ll support investments in energy efficiency programs that lower utility bills and policies that protect consumers from price spikes, including reducing the allowable rate of return on equity for utilities and the short term investment incentives in gas pipelines and related infrastructure. I will ensure that the households least able to benefit from retrofits to clean energy systems are not left behind footing the ratepayer bill for obsolete infrastructure. By diversifying our energy portfolio, investigating opportunities for increasing public ownership of utilities and investing in new technologies, we can achieve both climate goals and energy affordability.
Vulnerable Coastal Communities. Sea levels off the Massachusetts coast are already 8 inches higher than in 1950 and rising about an inch every eight years, with projections showing Boston’s sea level will rise nearly 16 inches by 2050. These are no longer distant concerns—they’re happening now, demanding immediate action.
Communities like Hull, Quincy, and Boston are particularly vulnerable. Within a hundred years projections show that half the homes in Hull could face flooding every other week. Low-lying areas in Dedham also face increasing risks associated with increased flooding. We must invest in coastal resilience infrastructure to protect homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure in these communities, including a Boston Harbor seawall designed to mitigate the worst possible effects of climate change.
Opposing the Weymouth Compressor Station. I stand firmly with the residents fighting against the natural gas compressor station in Weymouth. This facility poses demonstrative environmental and health problems for the community and represents the wrong fossil fuel direction for our energy future.
