The Holliston Democratic Town Committee (HDTC) and State Representative James Arena-DeRosa recently hosted a community discussion on climate legislation at the Holliston Public Library. The event featured State Representative Jeffrey Roy and Holliston Sustainability Coordinator Matt Zettek, who shared successes and challenges on the road to becoming the most climate-friendly, environmentally advanced state in the nation. They fielded questions from the audience of in-person and Zoom attendees at the Holliston Public Library on Saturday, April 29 from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.

Rep. Roy was co-author of the Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind signed by Governor Charlie Baker into law Fall 2022. It addressed, among other key issues:

• Making big investments in the offshore wind industry.
• Closing solar loopholes.
• Adding more storage to the grid and preparing for transmission needs.
• Clarifying that biomass electricity is not renewable energy.
• Focusing on building resources for clean transportation.

Rep. Roy discussed how this act, coupled with the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden in 2022, will help make Massachusetts’ ambitious climate goals possible. Rep. Roy addressed questions on how to change industry and consumer behavior, how to cost-effectively move away from fossil fuels, and how to address supply chain issues that are hampering offshore wind efforts.

Mr. Zettek followed up with a description of how these two laws are impacting us here in Holliston. He summarized some of the key Holliston sustainability programs:

• Textile Recycling
• Mass Save
• Composting
• Trash and Recycling
• Community Power Supply

Matt also addressed questions about how Holliston’s Community Choice aggregator could be greener, the status of the solar field in the town’s landfill, and the oft-discussed status of town electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

The Holliston Democratic Town Committee is an organization that represents the principles of the Democratic Party by encouraging education and discussion around issues of critical national, state, and local importance. For more information, visit www.hollistondems.org.