Several Massachusetts lawmakers believe the giant fossil fuel companies should have known for decades that their products were harming the environment and should face hefty fines to establish a climate change “superfund” to remediate that damage.
State Representative Steven Owens, a Watertown Democrat, has filed legislation (H 1014) to that effect in the Massachusetts House, and Democrat Senator Jamie Eldridge of Acton has filed a version of the bill (S 588) in the Senate.
State House News Service reported the legislation would “impose significant financial penalties on fossil fuel giants for their role in greenhouse gas emissions, then use that money to help fund the state’s response to more intense weather, warming temperatures, and other climate change outcomes.”
No member of the regional legislative delegation signed on as a co-sponsor of the legislation, which is currently before the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources…