The Massachusetts Climate Bill Is Very Much "Not Dead" (Video)

In January, when Governor Baker vetoed the Legislature's effort to go big on climate, my colleague Zach Gerson made clear that the bill was not even "mostly dead." I am pleased to say that Zach's diagnosis was correct. The climate bill is very much alive. S30

Last week, the Legislature passed a new version of the bill, which adopted most of the Governor's technical suggestions and almost none of his substantive changes. As a result, my summary of the important elements of the bill in January remains largely accurate.

To me, there are only two even arguably significant substantive changes from what the Legislature passed in January:

• The Legislature gave the Governor perhaps a slice – definitely not even half of loaf – of what he asked for with respect to the development of a net-zero stretch energy code that municipalities could adopt as a local option. The new bill still requires development of the net-zero stretch code. However, it now allows 18 months,