Matt Casale to legislators: The path forward is electric

In a room packed with legislators, advocates and staffers, MASSPIRG Staff Attorney Matt Casale elaborated on the health and climate benefits of electric buses at a Sept. 17 legislative briefing on Beacon Hill.

In a room packed with legislators, advocates and staffers, MASSPIRG Staff Attorney Matt Casale elaborated on the health and climate benefits of electric buses at a Sept. 17 legislative briefing on Beacon Hill.

By replacing its old diesel buses with clean electric ones, Massachusetts would significantly reduce its tailpipe emissions, which make residents sick and accelerate climate change, said Matt, a panel member. Transportation accounts for a whopping 43 percent of the state’s carbon emissions.

The briefing focused on a series of bills that will hasten the state’s adoption of electric vehicles and buses. Bills that enjoy MASSPIRG’s support will require the phased conversion of the state’s bus fleets to 100 percent electric and invest in charging infrastructure.

MASSPIRG’s Transform Transportation campaign calls for electrifying all new cars by 2035 and all new buses by 2030. Some states are already implementing these changes. In Virginia, the state is committed to electrifying school buses with help from Dominion Energy.

Read MASSPIRG’s campaigns for clean transportation.

Photo: Matt Casale (left), briefs lawmakers on the health and environmental benefits of electric buses. Credit: Staff