Massachusetts creates Commission on Clean Heat

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker recently created the Commission on Clean Heat that will set targets for buildings to reduce emissions from heating fuels.

The board, the first such body in the nation, will further the state’s ambitious plans to reduce carbon emissions. The state has lacked specific pathways to achieve its goals, particularly regarding the heating of buildings.

According to a recent report by the Boston Globe, Massachusetts has been converting just hundreds of homes to electric heat per year when its climate plan called for 100,000 a year. Affordable housing officials will be included on the commission in an effort to make the transition from gas and oil heat to electric more equitable for those of modest means.

Nearly one-third of Massachusetts’ greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings. The commission is expected to establish a cap on emissions from heating fuels similar to what the state has done in the power sector.