Northeast

Massachusetts

Massachusetts has experienced a 36% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990-2021. The state is home to almost half of the residents in New England and it consumes more than 17 times the amount of energy it produces, although it has the fourth lowest per-capita emissions. Since the largest contributors to the state’s GDP (finance, insurance, real estate, and professional and business services) are not energy-intensive, Massachusetts is ranked 49th in energy used per dollar of GDP, less than any other state besides New York.

GHG Reduction Targets

All targets relative to 1990 levels

2025

33%

2030

50%

2040

75%

2050

85%

2050

Net-zero

Governor

Maura Healey (Democrat)

House Party

Democratic Supermajority

Senate Party

Democratic Supermajority

Legislative session

1/3/24 - 7/31/24

US Climate Alliance Status

Member

Key Offices & Links

45

Policies Enacted or In Progress

across 7 policy areas

See all

17

Policy Opportunities

across 5 policy areas

See all

Northeast

9 states

This map shows the occurrence of climate policies passed at the state-level. Higher numbers represent more climate policies enacted.

Compare with other states

Progress by Policy Area

Enacted
In-progress
Partially Enacted
Not Enacted

Glossary of Terms

Status	Policy	Policy Area	Policy Category	YR Enacted
Enacted	Commercial Energy Codes Empty column The statewide energy code for commercial building construction is 2021 IECC. Establishing Policies Massachusetts State Energy Code (2022)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Codes	2022
Enacted	Residential Energy Codes Empty column The statewide energy code for residential construction is 2021 IECC. Establishing Policies Massachusetts State Energy Code (2022)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Codes	2022
Enacted	Stretch Building Energy Codes Empty column The Stretch Energy Code is 2021 IECC with Massachusetts amendments, and the Specialized Code is a municipal opt-in code that is designed to ensure new construction is consistent with the state's target of net-zero emissions by 2050. Establishing Policies S.9 (2021) 225 CMR 22.00 (2022) 225 CMR 23.00 (2022) Building Energy Codes	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Codes	2023
Enacted	Appliance Standards Empty column The Appliance Efficiency Standards apply to 15 products. Establishing Policies S. 9 (2021) 225 CMR 9.00 (2021) Appliance Energy and Water Efficiency Standards	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Standards	2021
Not Enacted	Building Performance Standards Empty column Building performance standards establish energy and/or greenhouse gas performance targets for existing buildings in a state. These targets increase in stringency over time, leading to efficiency improvements in buildings to conserve energy and reduce emissions.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Standards
Not Enacted	Clean Heat Standards Empty column Clean heat standards establish a performance standard requiring heat providers to deliver a gradually-increasing percentage of low-emission heating services to customers.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Standards
Enacted	Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS) Empty column Electric utilities are required to reduce cumulative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 504,000 metric tons for 2022-2024. Gas utilities are required to reduce cumulative GHG emissions by 341,000 metric tons for 2022-2024. Establishing Policies S. 9 (2021) 2022-2024 Three Year Energy Efficiency Plan (2021)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Efficiency	2021
Enacted	Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Empty column Massachusetts has enacted commercial PACE-enabling legislation and has active programs. Establishing Policies H. 4568 (2016)	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Efficiency	2016
Enacted	Weatherization Funding Empty column The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled. Establishing Policies SPOT - Weatherization Funding in Massachusetts Policy Components enacted enacted enacted enacted 4/4	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Efficiency
Not Enacted	All-Electric Buildings Empty column All-electric buildings policies require new buildings to be constructed with all-electric heating, cooling, and cooking systems to transition away from fossil-fuel use in buildings.	Buildings and Efficiency	Building Electrification

Massachusetts

Key Offices & Links

45

17

Northeast

Progress by Policy Area

Climate Governance and Equity

Cross-Sector

Electricity

Buildings and Efficiency

Transportation

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management

Natural and Working Lands

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections in Massachusetts