Dear Governor Baker,
I am writing to ask you to take the next step in the history of bold, bipartisan environmental leadership
in Massachusetts by supporting a market-based strategy to reduce global warming pollution.
As you know, through the Global Warming Solutions Act, the State of Massachusetts is committed to
reducing our overall emissions of global warming pollution in proportion to what the scientific evidence
indicates is necessary to protect our climate from global warming, including a cut of 25% by 2020 and by
80% by 2050. Unfortunately, Massachusetts is not currently on pace to achieve these mandates, and
stronger policies are needed, especially in areas such as heating and transportation.
One of the reasons we are running behind on our mandates is because the state has yet to fully embrace
market-based solutions to address climate emissions. A broad range of economists and policy experts
from across the ideological spectrum have long recognized that the most efficient and effective way to
reduce climate pollution is through carbon pricing policies that unleash the power of the free market to
solve environmental challenges. While Massachusetts has adopted a successful market-based program
in the electricity sector through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, we have yet to adopt any
market-based strategy to reduce emissions in other sectors. Market based programs include both direct
fees on emissions that can be rebated back to consumers as well as emissions trading systems.
Carbon pricing systems work because they require polluters to take responsibility for their emissions,
creating an economic incentive to invest in clean energy and efficiency. Real world examples of carbon
pricing systems, such as British Columbia’s revenue-neutral carbon tax, and the emissions trading
systems of California and the Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, demonstrate that carbon
pricing can reduce emissions while creating jobs, growing our economy and protecting consumers.
Moreover, economic analysis done by the state of Massachusetts has demonstrated a market-based
solution can be good for our economy, good for poor and middle class consumers, and good for jobs. As
a state with no fossil fuel reserves of our own, reducing our reliance on imported oil and gas and
building our clean energy sector is both strong economic policy and strong environmental policy.
We urge you to consider supporting a market-based strategy to reduce emissions and incorporating a
plan to put a price on carbon emissions into your plan to achieve the state’s climate mandates.
Thank you,
XX, from X organization, resident of X Town