Editor’s Note: Following the forum described below, in an August 30 press release, 350 Mass Action announced its endorsement of Leigh Davis for the 3rd Berkshire District seat.
Berkshire County — Where do the four candidates vying to become the next state representative for the 3rd Berkshire District stand on environmental issues, including climate change, and clean energy? These questions formed the basis of discussion on Wednesday, August 21, as the candidates participated in an online forum hosted by the local climate action group 350 Mass Berkshires.
At the forum, Democratic candidates Leigh Davis, Jamie Minacci, and Patrick White, along with independent candidate Marybeth Mitts, took turns discussing their views on financing for clean energy, infrastructure improvements, greening schools, clean energy siting, whether or not the state should expand natural-gas pipelines, and if the state should subsidize biomass as an alternative fuel.
Davis, Minacci, and White are all running in the Democratic primary election, on Tuesday, September 3. The candidate who wins the Democratic primary will subsequently go against Mitts in the general election on November 5.
With global temperatures rising as a result of climate change, and with communities experiencing damaging and costly extreme-weather events, the candidates spoke of the need to foster climate resilience and preparedness.
“We’re going to have to prioritize emergency funding,” White said. He pointed to recent extreme flooding in neighboring Connecticut and Vermont as examples of what the county should be prepared for in a wetter and hotter future.
“Planning for municipal vulnerabilities is so critical with the increase in climate events that we’ve had over the years,” Mitts said. The former chair and current member of the Lenox Select Board recalled a time when a storm disrupted the construction of a culvert in Lenox and how she worked with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Authority to get funding to help resume the construction.
The topic of leveraging funding to help pay for climate and clean energy projects was one area where some candidates had diverging views.
Davis said she supports the state establishing a “climate bank,” an entity that leverages public and private investment to go towards decarbonization initiatives. She noted that legislators are considering a bill to move the idea of a state climate bank forward.
White, however, is less supportive of the concept. He said that he would rather see the fossil fuel industry be taxed to help generate needed funding. “I believe that the fossil fuel companies should pay,” White said.
The candidates agreed, however, that costs are the main barrier to building more environmentally sustainable schools.
Mitts said federal funds are available to help school districts decarbonize.
Davis emphasized that she would prioritize holding the state accountable to its aspirations for greening schools, pointing to a green and healthy schools provision that the state passed in 2022. “Climate change is a threat to our children and our schools,” she said.
As for decisions around the siting of large-scale clean-energy infrastructure, White and Minacci said they would prefer not to see valuable land like forests or farmland be used for these types of projects. Davis and Mitts said that local control in siting decisions is important.
All four candidates said they opposed expanding natural-gas pipelines in the Commonwealth. Mitts and Davis reiterated that they favor moving towards renewable energy, and White said that incentivizing the transition towards cleaner energy by taxing fossil fuel sales is something he would support. “We’re going to have to fight these entrenched interests and get them to change,” White said.
The candidates said they are generally not supportive of advancing subsidies for biomass. Davis indicated she would strongly oppose biomass, in alignment with the position of some progressive and environmental organizations. Minacci and White suggested they are not completely opposed to using biomass as an alternative to fossil fuels but said they would prefer cleaner options like solar energy.
Another topic discussed by the candidates was the Mass Save program, which offers rebates and incentives for home energy-efficiency improvements, such as improving weatherization or installing heat pumps. Mitts mentioned the program early in the forum and said she would make more residents aware of it. “I would concentrate on the Mass Save program, getting the word out more to moderate- and low-income households,” she said.
Davis said she had heard concerns that the program has struggled to serve underrepresented communities like renters and low-income families. “What I’ve heard is that Mass Save needs to be more accessible and more equitable,” Davis said, adding: “I do think it needs an overhaul.”
