MASSACHUSETTS IS AT the precipice of two transformative leaps toward our net-zero transition. Our Commonwealth has adopted ambitious statewide climate goals, but hitting those targets will require significant and time-sensitive policy changes. Fortunately, big and bold climate action is on the docket this legislative session.

Our state leaders are now developing an omnibus climate package, as well as an economic development bond bill that centers climate tech as a key area for growth. With these two legislative vehicles, we have an unprecedented opportunity to supercharge our clean energy transition—and our economy.

Let’s start with the first potential game changer: the omnibus climate package. Massachusetts is rightly considered a national leader on climate and clean energy policy. Landmark laws passed in 2021 and 2022 created a timeline for reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 and began the work of implementation. These laws were a noble start.

Now, the Legislature must provide the tools to deliver on these goals: electrifying our most carbon-intensive sectors and deploying renewable energy. It is essential that this session’s climate bill prioritize expanding offshore wind, improving the systems through which we build zero-emission infrastructure, and setting consistent timelines for the electrification of our transit system.

Why a focus on offshore wind? To reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and lower our greenhouse gas emissions, we need to increase the energy we’re procuring from renewable sources. Offshore wind is our single biggest opportunity. The climate bill can double the overall procurement of offshore wind coming online by 2035, while ensuring this development includes strong labor standards and lasting wildlife protections—ultimately providing cleaner, healthier energy to residents across Massachusetts.

Equally important is empowering the Commonwealth to build a modern, resilient grid capable of delivering that energy. As we move toward a future where our cars, houses, and businesses are powered and heated by electricity, not gas and oil, we need to transform our infrastructure at a historic pace. To do that, state agencies and other decision makers must effectively engage with and respond to the needs of communities, particularly environmental justice communities. With this climate bill, we can build the regulatory frameworks needed to move important decarbonization projects quickly from planning to interconnection, while ensuring that we protect communities and our increasingly vulnerable natural resources from detrimental cumulative impacts.

At the same time, we must seize this moment to make meaningful progress on electrifying our largest source of greenhouse gasses and air pollution: our transportation sector. The Legislature should pass a climate bill that makes it easier to build electric vehicle charging stations at multifamily buildings and for vehicle fleets and expand electric vehicle access within communities now facing the greatest barriers to this infrastructure. We must also set timelines for electrifying public transit like the commuter rail and regional transit authorities by 2035 to align with our emissions-reduction laws. By doing so, we will improve air quality in some of our most vulnerable communities and create a blueprint for further electrification of other public and private transit systems and fleets.

Now, the second game-changer: the state’s economic development bond bill, which could serve as a powerful new vehicle for investing in the development and deployment of climate technology in the Commonwealth. Our renewable technology sector has the potential to become one of the largest drivers of our state’s economy, and we can unleash it by turbocharging the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, ultimately building a 21st century workforce and facilitating the deployment of pilots and innovations.

An economic development bill that includes at least $1.5 billion in bonding to fund a stronger Massachusetts Clean Energy Center will make it possible to intentionally integrate climate and clean energy priorities into the Commonwealth’s strategy for economic growth. Massachusetts should harness our unique combination of resources, institutions, and talent to compete for the unprecedented influx of capital and jobs that building a net-zero future will bring. Just as our 2008 life sciences initiative positioned Massachusetts as a global leader in the sector today, we can build a solid foundation in climate tech and emerge as a durable, nation-leading hub for clean energy innovation and development.

These two bills are critical for a net-zero future, and they offer real benefits all along the way. Passing a climate omnibus package and an economic development bond that include these crucial priorities will result in greener and more resilient communities. They will create good jobs and spur economic growth. They will provide more reliable and affordable clean energy and break our overreliance on oil and gas.

Our climate goals are within reach, but the longer we wait to start running toward them, the harder it will be to get there. Bold, targeted action this legislative session offers a unique and critical opportunity to make our climate vision for Massachusetts a reality.

Amy Boyd Rabin is vice president of policy at the Environmental League of Massachusetts.