Genocide education act signed into law

The Genocide Education Act, filed by state Rep. Roy, was signed into law by Gov. Baker in a ceremony at the State Library. The bill, approved by 198 of the 200 members of the General Court, will require public schools to teach the history of genocides and create a fund to help support the new curriculum. Upon signing, Massachusetts become the 20th state to have adopted mandatory Holocaust and genocide education.

“Massachusetts has always been at the forefront of human rights issues and with the passage of this bill, we can do it again,” said Rep. Roy . “We can arm our students with the knowledge they will need to recognize the warning signs and feel empowered to prevent genocides in the future. Making genocide education a mandatory topic for teaching in our schools is a reaffirmation of the commitment of free peoples from all nations to never again permit the occurrence of another genocide, and to deter indifference to crimes against humanity and human suffering wherever they occur.”

You can learn more about the new law and view Rep. Roy’s floor remarks on the bill by clicking here.

Offshore wind bill sails through House

Legislation that will turbocharge the growing offshore wind industry in Massachusetts and help us meet our climate commitments easily sailed through the House last week. Rep. Roy has led the effort to pass the legislation in his role as Chair of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy.

The bill builds on the power of wind not only to supply clean energy, but to provide robust economic development as well. The House voted 144-12 to pass the bill and change how the state procures wind. It also creates new tax credits and incentives for offshore wind companies, imposes new environmental and fishing industry-related requirements on offshore wind projects, encourages the modernization of the electrical grid, and jumpstarts training programs for offshore wind jobs.

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Electric trucks

Rep. Roy joined colleagues in Arlington to announce $1 million in funding to support fleet managers as they plan for and procure electric trucks. The announcement was made at Intelligent Labor in Arlington, where owner Ezekiel Wheeler operates his business with an electric truck and two electric cars.

Transportation accounts for nearly one third of US greenhouse gas emissions and this effort will help move to electric fleets, a critical element for eliminating emissions and limiting global warming. This is essential for our transition to a zero emission future.

The funding, made available through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s (MassCEC) Vehicle Electrification Advisory Services for Fleets Pilot Program, will address a major barrier to fleet electrification by providing fleet managers with necessary technical services and promoting the use of Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV) Truck Program incentive funding.

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Constituent services

Aside from the policy work we do in the legislature, constituent services remains one of the most important part of our duties and responsibilities as representatives.

A few weeks ago, the Boston Globe reported about issues people, including a Franklin constituent, have experienced with unemployment benefits during the pandemic. Our office was able to assist our constituent, but this is a continuing bureaucratic nightmare for so many.

Rep. Roy is pushing the DUA to change it’s practice of dropping the hammer and validate claims before making demands on consumers who are hurting.

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VR training for offshore wind

The Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy visited the Mass Clean Energy Center at the Marine Terminal in New Bedford to check out Vinci VR's offshore wind training module and try our hands at making virtual repairs to a turbine.

Channel 6 did this report on the visit which provided us with a first hand look at job potentials in the burgeoning offshore wind industry and an opportunity to consider policy changes needed to address workforce development needs.

NE’s largest battery

Rep. Roy took a trip to see New England’s largest battery and explore how it fits in the renewable energy ecosystem. Northfield Mountain is a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant and reservoir located on and under the mountain in Erving and Northfield, Massachusetts. In 1972 its 1,168 MW hydroelectric plant became operational as the largest such facility in the world (the Vineyard Wind project will produce 800 MW).

The man-made 300-acre upper reservoir, 800 feet above the Connecticut River, is capable of storing 5.6 billion gallons of water. Water from the reservoir flows through four 18-foot-diameter conduits drilled into the rock. Gravity and powerful pumps force the water down to the hydro plant carved into the mountain. The water spins the electric-generating turbines. To recharge the battery and get water back up to the mountaintop reservoir, the pumps work in reverse.

The underground powerhouse includes four large reversible turbines, each capable of pumping 27,000 gallons of water per second and generating 270,000 kilowatts of electricity. The powerhouse is accessible through a 2,500-foot-long tunnel. Seven hundred feet below the surface, the cavern is longer than a football field and higher than a ten-story building.

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Click on any of the links below for news coverage of Rep. Roy’s work for the 10th Norfolk District over the past month.

Offshore wind bill sails through House, Commonwealth Magazine (3/4/2022)

House approves plan to expand offshore wind, The Daily News (3/4/2022)

House pushes for Massachusetts to become the center of U.S. wind production, WGBH (3/3/2022)

Offshore wind is the future for Massachusetts, Boston Globe (3/2/2022)

In race for offshore wind jobs, Mass. is falling behind. So now what?, Boston Globe (3/2/2022)

New offshore wind bill drops electric bill charges, Commonwealth Magazine (3/1/2022)

House rallying behind new supports for offshore wind industry, New Bedford Light (3/1/2022)

Mass. Climate Legislation Overview & Update, sessions on March 2 and March 15, WaylandeNews (2/22/2022)

Schools, businesses want early college program greatly expanded for underrepresented students — but will Mass. do it?, Boston Globe (2/15/22)

They qualified for unemployment benefits. Then the state asked for the money back, Boston Globe (2/13/22)