FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                                               CONTACT: Erin McNeill

April 22, 2009                                                                                                                      (617) 722-1551

                                                                                                                                                 erin.mcneill@state.ma.us

Pacheco attends historic climate change

discussions at national level

Earth Day hearing sees major step forward as support comes

from across the spectrum

Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) said hearings this week on a major climate change bill in Washington D.C.  show that the United States is getting serious about reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

“These are historic discussions that are finally beginning at the federal level, thanks in great part to the longstanding leadership and consistent efforts of Congressman Ed Markey ,” said Pacheco, chairman of the Senate Committee on Global warming and Climate Change. He is in Washington this week attending the National Conference of State Legislators spring policy forum.

The bill, proposed by Markey (D-Mass) and House Energy Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), received support from across the spectrum at today’s hearing – from Duke Energy to DuPont to the Natural Resources Defense Council—according to Pacheco.

The bill that the House Energy committee is taking up this week is similar in concept to the cap-and-trade bill passed in Massachusetts last year. Pacheco noted that Massachusetts, ahead of the curve  on climate change nationally, is already beginning to see some benefits: Today the governor announced that $10 million in revenue generated by the auctioning of greenhouse gas emission allowances would be used to provide technical assistance to cities and towns for initiatives such as purchasing fuel-efficient vehicle fleets or developing renewable energy projects.

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