EEA tells Ways and Means House 1 focuses on climate resilience, clean energy and environmental justice

Rebecca Tepper, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means at a March hearing in Barnstable that the governor’s House 1 budget builds on the administration’s work on climate mitigation, resilience and equity.

Tepper said the budget would fund new technical assistance for dam and culvert owners, seed coastal resilience planning and expand equity-focused grant programs. “This year we’ll be focusing on strengthening our infrastructure and building resilience to climate change,” Tepper said, linking the proposal to recent extreme-weather damage that has affected farms, forests and communities.

Why it matters: The House 1 request packages capital and operating investments the administration says are needed to meet statutory emissions goals and to protect communities from flooding, heat and drought. The proposal also aims to speed clean-energy deployment while adding staff capacity at agencies that carry out water quality, PFAS and conservation work.

Tepper previewed several specific items included in H1:…