The Green Corner

News & Action from First Parish Climate Action Team

Thank you One—to all who make calls to help get the Carbon Pricing Legislation out of the Joint Committee on Telecommunica-tions, Utilities and Energy.  The legislation is now part of an Omnibus bill in a Senate Committee chaired by Senator March Pacheco. Our UU Climate Collaborative members from the UU church in Middleborough spend over an hour with Sen. Pacheco and report  “the bill if passed, would require a “market-based compliance mechanism” for carbon–but would leave it to the current state administration to implement. Our group was very happy with what we heard–no new fossil-fuel infrastructure, gas leaks must be fixed, higher target for storage, 3% RPS (renewable portfolio standard)

increases, eliminate net metering caps, more offshore wind, language from other House-originated bills regarding environmental justice, anti-fracking, clean fuel.  Next will be getting it through Senate Ways & Means, then the Senate, then–where we’ll really be needed–the House.” More later.

Thank you Two—to the Rev. Anne and the Worship Committee for inviting Rev. Fred Small to lead Worship Sunday February 11.  Rev. Small was one of the founders of the UU Green Sanctuary Movement and most recently the minister at First Parish in Cambridge. He left the parish ministry in 2015 to working full -time on Climate Change issues. He challenged us to view these dark times not as a tomb of defeats, but a womb of hope and new spiritually centered activism.

Thank you Three is an anticipatory thank you to all who will join the FP Climate Action Team (CAT) at our meeting on Sunday February 25 after worship at 11:45 in the Parlor. The agenda will include:  Update on the new Omnibus Climate Bill and next steps to pass it, FP Green Sanctuary Actions including divestment, and other new congregation wide actions. (For more information Contacts:  Stephen Shick, stephenshick04@gmail.com  Bob Kvaal, bkvaal@gmail.com  David Pollack,  joananddavid3@verizon.net