california, canada, and massachusetts!

OK, so I promised I'd write something about what's going on in Massachusetts, which is funny because I don't really know squat about what's going on in Massachusetts, except that I sort of grew up there. What I do know is there's a group called Massachusetts Power Shift (MAPS) that's putting on a big event next month at BU, Boston Commons, and the State House with a bunch of big deal enviros (or so says their Web site). I'd sure go if I wasn't 2,876 miles away and busy.
One of the big climate things going on there is a bill moving through the General Court (the Legislature) that would limit emissions in the state to 90 percent of the 2002 level by 2020. It's called the Global Warming Solutions Act, and language in the bill claims it would be the only such effort aside from California's. It sets some tight deadlines, but would basically leave it up to the state's department of environmental protection to come up with ways to meet the reduction. Market-based system? Sure. Alternative compliance mechanisms? Why not. Look what California, Canada, and the E.U. are doing, says the bill.
That said, there does seem to be a lot of thought put into the bill. It has protections aimed at ensuring environmental justice, for instance, and making sure that emissions reductions made in Massachusetts don't just cause increases in some other state. It has a severability clause, and it gives the gov the authority to push back the compliance date in the event of "extraordinary circumstances."
According to MAPS, the bill passed the Senate last week. It's a Senate bill, so I'm assuming it still has to get through the House, which seems to have a gazillion people in it. One thing I noticed is different about MA and AK is the ratio of Democrats to Republicans. Our Senate is 9-11. Theirs is 35-5.