Part 1: The Senate Perspective with Sen. Michael Barrett

Join State Senator Mike Barrett and Professor Chris Knittel from MIT for an overview and discussion of proposed climate and energy legislation being considered during this session at the Statehouse.   

Which climate bills have the best chance of becoming law and what provisions are stimulating debate?  How can legislation help us decarbonize our transportation and home heating sectors?  What impacts will there be on low-income communities?  What does our state, region and country need to do to address the growing threats of a changing climate?  We anticipate a robust Q&A period at the conclusion of this program.

Our Participants:

Sen. Mike Barrett represents the 3rd Middlesex District in the Massachusetts Senate, including Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lincoln, Waltham, Weston and large parts of Lexington and Sudbury. He serves as the Senate Chair of the Legislature’s Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. The committee’s jurisdiction covers everything from cell phones to alternative energy to public utility reform to carbon pricing.

Prof. Christopher Knittel is the George P. Shultz Professor and a Professor of Applied Economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His research focuses on industrial organization, environmental economics, and applied econometrics.  Knittel is an associate editor of The American Economic Journal— Economic Policy, The Journal of Industrial Economics, and the Journal of Energy Markets. He also is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research in the Productivity, Industrial Organization, and Energy and Environmental Economics groups. http://knittel.world