Two big victories for climate and environmental justice!

Massachusetts has two great reasons to celebrate today.

Late last week, Springfield residents won a major victory when the permit for a polluting biomass incinerator planned for a residential neighborhood was revoked!

And last month, the Climate Roadmap Bill finally became law!

Our state is now two steps closer to environmental justice and 100% clean, renewable energy.

The victory against a polluting biomass plant in Springfield is historic. Springfield is home to communities of color and poor communities, and it’s also the asthma capital of the U.S. Siting a polluting biomass incinerator in the neighborhood, where it would further pollute the air, is a clear environmental injustice.

But neighbors came together and convinced the Department of Environmental Protection to revoke the polluter’s permit! This comes after a 12-year fight led by community leaders in the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition, Neighbor to Neighbor and Arise for Social Justice, who never gave up.

And now, the Climate Roadmap Bill codifies environmental justice into law in Massachusetts. This is a critical step to stop polluters from loading pollution into Black, Indigenous and communities of color and poor communities, and comes after years of organizing together with our partners at environmental justice groups across the state.

The bill also sets key emissions goals to keep us on track to reduce fossil fuel pollution and make progress towards 100% renewable energy across the state. Your sustained support meant that legislators passed this bill a second time with a veto-proof majority, and now it has become law.

Of course, there’s more work ahead to protect our communities and our climate. But we’re thrilled to celebrate these critical steps forward together.

We’re proud to be in this work with you and with our partners in the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition and the Mass Power Forward coalition. Thanks for taking action.