Title
Resolved: That it is the sense of the Malden City Council that the Body wishes to express their support of H.872/S.481, "An Act establishing a climate change superfund and promoting polluter responsibility;" to build polluter accountability and fund climate resilience.
Body
Whereas, this legislative session, bill H.872/S.481, "An Act establishing a climate change superfund and promoting polluter responsibility," also known as the "Make Polluters Pay" Bill, was filed; and
Whereas, if passed, this bill would establish a climate change superfund into which the largest oil and gas companies would pay over 25 years, with each company's share proportional to their contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions between 2000 and 2018; and
Whereas, oil and gas companies bear the responsibility for exacerbating the climate crisis, and have consistently misrepresented the destructive impacts of fossil fuel combustion on the global climate; and
Whereas, climate change caused by global warming poses many serious threats to the City of Malden and its residents, including extreme heat, flooding, poor air quality, and other extreme weather, which are already impacting the Malden community; and
Whereas, to adequately fund necessary climate adaptation and resilience projects, Malden requires funding at a scale beyond the reasonable constraints of the City's operating budget, and the passage of the proposed "Make Polluters Pay" legislation in the State House would provide the means for Malden and other cities like it to adapt to climate impacts more adequately, equitably, and meaningfully; and
Whereas, the proposed legislation would mandate that 40% of the monies raised be allocated to projects benefiting environmental justice communities, encourage utilization of apprenticeship work programs, and encourage adherence to prevailing wage laws; and
Whereas, this session the "Make Polluters Pay" Bill was given a study order by the Joint Committee on the Environment and ...
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