Ed Markey’s one-stop climate shop

Aug 16, 2024

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CLIMATE CRUNCHTIME — The White House is scrambling to fully implement the Inflation Reduction Act ahead of a potential second Trump term. Sen. Ed Markey is lending a hand.

The Massachusetts lawmaker is rolling out a new online “Climate Hub” this morning, on the second anniversary of President Joe Biden’s signing of the bill. It’s a tool Markey described to Playbook as a “one-stop shop” for guidance on how cities, towns, organizations and individuals can take advantage of the overlooked grant programs and tax incentives included in the IRA and in Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure act.

“Massachusetts is already ahead of the curve in terms of the hundreds of millions of dollars that we've already applied for and received, but we just need everyone to know how much they can benefit from [the IRA],” Markey said in a phone interview earlier this week.

The portal “makes it easier for communities to get the most up to date information about the various funding opportunities and upcoming deadlines.”

The massive climate and clean energy law has already been a boon for the Bay State. Massachusetts has won $455 million for more than 90 projects across the state, Markey said — including $156 million under the “Solar for All” program and $11 million for Boston’s urban forestry program.

But dismantling the law (which Donald Trump wrote off as a “con job,” during a press conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, yesterday) is at the top of the former president’s to-do list if he wins the White House in November.

Markey predicts that message could backfire. More than a dozen Republican lawmakers recently urged GOP leadership not to repeal the clean energy tax credits included in the landmark legislation if the party does try to pick it apart.

“In Georgia, in Arizona, in state after state, in North Carolina — these benefits are already deeply embedded in the economy and the culture of those states,” Markey said. “Whether or not the IRA stays or goes is on the ballot this year.”

Playbook talked to Markey about what a second Trump term would mean for the IRA, fallout from the Vineyard Wind project, and more. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Is there enough time to take full advantage of the IRA before January, and what happens to some of these programs if former President Donald Trump wins in November?

Donald Trump has said to the oil, gas and coal industry that if they give him $1 billion he will dismantle the IRA. And Republicans have voted more than 40 times to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and its historic climate and clean energy provisions. They’ve voted to repeal my $27 billion climate bank over and over again in the House of Representatives.

[Oil and gas magnate] Harold Hamm has said that this election is the most important election in history for the oil and gas industry, because he knows what the IRA fully implemented will do to the oil and gas industry.

My own belief is that it's going to be difficult for [Trump] to repeal all of the IRA. Whether or not the IRA stays or goes is on the ballot this year. I think that's actually going to help us win in North Carolina and Georgia and Arizona.

The broken blade on the Vineyard Wind project has halted energy production and galvanized those who were already opposed to new wind energy projects. Are you worried this could have broader implications for the industry?

We want to make sure that environmental safeguards are put in place because our future is in clean energy. We need to learn lessons from what has happened, and apply them so that it never happens again.

Do you plan to run for reelection in 2026?

Absolutely. I’m the most energized I've ever been. Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans and Project 2025 – they energized me in a way that I've never been energized before. We have to fight hard against the right-wing extremism which now dominates the Republican Party.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF!

TODAY — Markey celebrates the second anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act at a noon event in Mattapan. Gov. Maura Healey meets with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to talk climate resiliency at 11 a.m. at the State House. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper host a press conference on transportation improvements ahead of the upcoming school year at 10:45 a.m. in Roxbury.

THIS WEEKEND — State Rep. Christopher Worrell and Boston City Councilor Brian Worrell host the annual Hewins Street Block Party in Dorchester starting at noon on Saturday. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends Methuen’s annual Back to School Project event at 9 a.m. and speaks at the Lowell Water Festival at noon on Saturday.

SUNDAY SHOWS — Highlights from the GOP Senate primary debate between Bob Antonellis, Ian Cain and John Deaton air on WBZ at 8:30 a.m. Jon Keller is the moderator. Rep. Ayanna Pressley is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus is on “At Issue,” airing at 5 a.m. on NBC10 Boston and noon, 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on NECN.

Tips? Scoops? Going to the DNC next week? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com

A message from Uber:

Massachusetts Uber and Lyft drivers will now earn at least $32.50 while working on the app, making them some of the highest paid drivers in the country. This new rate sets a high standard for driver pay across the nation. Go deeper.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Maternal Health Bill Headed To Healey's Desk,” by Alison Kuznitz, State House News Service (paywall): “The conference committee report (H 4999), which emerged from negotiations Wednesday, won House and Senate approval during sparsely attended informal sessions Thursday. … The agreement creates a pathway to licensure for certified professional midwives and lactation consultants, removes barriers to opening birth centers, develops resources for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, expands access to postpartum depression screenings, and improves oversight of ultrasound care. It also requires MassHealth to cover doula services for pregnant people, postpartum individuals up to 12 months after the end of their pregnancy, and adoptive parents until their infants turn one.”

— “New Massachusetts firefighter gear law bans PFAS,” by Shaun Ganley, WCVB: “Gov. Maura Healey signed a new law at the State House Thursday that will ban the use of PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals,’ in firefighter protective gear by 2027. The bill, which secured House approval in the early hours of Aug. 1, requires manufacturers to provide written notice to local governments, state agencies and other buyers if their firefighting protective equipment contains PFAS chemicals.”

— “Healey all in on offshore wind, but what about Trump?,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “Donald Trump has vowed to shut down the offshore wind industry if he is elected in November, and a president wields considerable power since wind farms are located in federal waters. Healey said she is well aware of the former president’s stated position, but gave no indication that his stance is affecting her decision to make offshore wind the centerpiece of the state’s climate change efforts.”

— “Maura Healey confronts Cape Cod residents on wind, housing, migrants: ‘There’s a lot of misinformation’,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald.

— “The Inspector General Is in—and out in the Commonwealth,” by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight.

FROM THE HUB

— “After stabbing, Ed Flynn calls for pause on Boston Common events,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn has called for a pause on permitted events around the Boston Common after a stabbing in the area left one man injured Wednesday. In an interview Thursday, Flynn, who has publicly indicated interest in running for mayor, said Boston needs to acknowledge ‘significant public safety challenges in Downtown Crossing and Boston Common and along Tremont Street.’”

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MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Saugus Public Schools illegally bars migrant children from enrolling, lawyers allege,” by Deanna Pan, The Boston Globe: “As foreign migrants started fleeing to Massachusetts in record numbers in the summer of 2023, Saugus Public Schools adopted a students admissions policy that illegally blocks newly arrived children from enrolling in the district in violation of state and federal law, attorneys for the families allege. Lawyers for Civil Rights and Massachusetts Advocates for Children sent a warning letter to members of the Saugus School Committee Thursday demanding they immediately revise the policy, which states Saugus students must all be ‘legal residents,’ and bars families who have not completed the town census from registering their children.”

— “Shelter restrictions in Mass. force migrant families into impossible decisions,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News.

— “MassHire, Riverside Industries partner on job fair to connect Haitian refugees with employment,” by Ada Denenfeld Kelly, Greenfield Recorder.

CONVENTION ZONE

DATELINE CHICAGO — “The DNC starts next week in Chicago. Here’s what to know,” by Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune.

LOCAL ANGLE — “Top Dems Ready To Decamp For Chicago Convention,” by Colin A. Young, State House News Service (paywall): “The state party will host a breakfast there each morning starting at 7 a.m. (8 a.m. eastern). Once delegates fill their plates, guest speakers will take the microphone starting at 7:30 a.m. Party officials said the breakfast lineups will include Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, U.S. Reps. Katherine Clark and Lori Trahan, and others from Massachusetts. Out-of-staters including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland are also expected to address Bay Staters. Details were still being finalized Thursday.”

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — State Rep. Jay Livingstone is endorsing longtime lawyer Allison Cartwright for Suffolk County Supreme Judicial clerk, citing her “dedication to justice” and “deep legal expertise."

— State Sen. Brendan Crighton has endorsed Tom Driscoll for Essex County clerk of courts, according to his campaign.

GRAB YOUR CHECKBOOKS — In his first event following the DNC, Barack Obama will host a fundraiser for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and affiliates in Martha's Vineyard on Aug. 26. The event will include a dinner and discussion between Obama and NRDC Chair Eric Holder, my colleagues reported yesterday.

A message from Uber:

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Red Line service will be partially suspended for a week, starting Monday,” by Jacqueline Munis, The Boston Globe: “Red Line service in parts of Cambridge and Boston will be suspended for a week, starting Monday, as the MBTA performs track work and station maintenance, officials said. Free shuttle buses will replace trains between JFK/UMass and Kendall/MIT stations from Aug. 19 to Aug. 25.”

FROM THE 413

— “Appraisal: Northampton overpaid for Resilience Hub site,” by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “An appraisal by a leading real estate brokerage in Boston hired by a group of residents critical of the city’s financial and urban planning policies concludes that Northampton overpaid by as much as $1.5 million for the downtown building that will host its planned Community Resilience Hub. Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, however, stands behind the city’s appraisal and purchase of the former First Baptist Church, noting that the city used a local brokerage who sent representatives to view the site as part of the process.”

— “Defense lawyers believe their clients may have been racially profiled by Pittsfield Police,” by Amanda Burke, The Berkshire Eagle: “A review of gun and drug investigations by a Pittsfield Police investigator who was once suspended for racially disparaging comments found that nearly 40 percent of the warrants he applied for since 2017 targeted Black people, a defense lawyer said.”

— “County Ambulance says its employees didn't know a salon owner hadn't given the Secret Service permission to use her bathroom,” by Greg Sukiennik, The Berkshire Eagle: “A city EMS provider has issued a public apology for one of its staff members using the bathroom at a hair salon behind the Colonial Theatre during Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit last month. In a Facebook post, County Ambulance President Brian Andrews said his staff had no idea that Four One Three Salon owner Alicia Powers had not given permission to the U.S. Secret Service for use of the business’ bathroom on July 27, when Harris visited Pittsfield for a fundraiser.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “‘Families left panicking’: Why 150 Stoughton students won’t get transportation this fall,” by Amelia Stern, The Brockton Enterprise: “Stoughton Public Schools officials announced in an email to families that they could no longer provide 150 students with transportation for the upcoming school year after they were forced to cut one of their school buses.”

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HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Kristen Elechko and Justin (JP) Griffin.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Bob Massie, Ari Meyerowitz and Lisa Murray, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Jason Furman, GBH’s Sarah Betancourt, and Oskar Hallig.

A message from Uber:

Massachusetts Uber and Lyft drivers will soon receive comprehensive benefits alongside their new pay rate. Benefits include health insurance stipends for those working over 15 hours a week, paid sick leave, and occupational accident insurance. These enhancements provide vital support and security for drivers, ensuring they have access to essential healthcare and financial protection. These new benefits mark a significant improvement in the quality of life for rideshare drivers.

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