Massachusetts Businesses and Institutions Call for Investments to Modernize and Decarbonize Transportation

BOSTON – Today, 21 top businesses and institutions called on Massachusetts lawmakers to invest in modernizing and decarbonizing the Commonwealth’s transportation system. Together, they urged top decision makers to take advantage of opportunities to meet residents’ needs, increase competitiveness, and meet state climate goals. 

Transportation accounts for 40% of all emissions in Massachusetts, making it the largest source of the state’s carbon pollution. To reach state climate goals, “we must both meet our immediate transportation investment needs and make significant progress toward decarbonization and service expansion,” the businesses write. “The benefits are myriad: sustained economic growth; improved air quality and public health; alleviation of congestion; and meaningful climate progress.” 

Specifically, the letter calls on lawmakers to: 

• Close gaps in public transit spending. The MBTA currently faces unmet infrastructure needs of at least $24.5 billion, as well as a nearly $700 million operating budget gap for Fiscal Year 2025. The state’s other Regional Transit Authorities face similar shortfalls. Adequate investment is necessary to make our transit system reliable, accessible, and safe. 

• Invest in modern, greener solutions. Decarbonization, service expansion, new infrastructure, and expanded multi-modal options will make travel more convenient, reliable, and attractive for residents and visitors, in addition to lowering emissions.  

• Improve resiliency to climate impacts. Investments into infrastructure resilience will help avoid massive costs from climate-related impacts and protect residents, natural resources, and communities from avoidable harm. 

• Secure sustained funding for future needs. Increased revenue is critical to investing in our state’s transportation future. The Governor’s Transportation Funding Task Force report recommends several worthy options for the Legislature to consider. 

“Air pollution from transportation is a major cause of preventable death and illness in Massachusetts, with an outsized impact on environmental justice communities.  Additionally, access to reliable and affordable transportation is an important social determinant of health that has been proven time and again to be a prerequisite to good health” stated Gregg Furie, Medical Director for Climate and Sustainability at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Investing in a cleaner, robust transit system is essential to providing more options to residents, reducing harmful emissions, and building a healthier Commonwealth.” 

“A thriving economy depends on residents and visitors’ access to reliable, efficient, and cost-effective transportation options,” stated President and CEO Nicholas M. Christ at BayCoast Bank. “By modernizing public transit, state leaders will not only strengthen communities in the short-term, but will save us from high, avoidable repair costs in the decades to come.” 

“Addressing the climate crisis must be a central element of any plans for Massachusetts to make our communities more livable and resilient,” stated Lee Pelton, President of The Boston Foundation. “We urge lawmakers to seize this moment to make meaningful progress toward our emissions goals while having a tangible impact on peoples’ daily lives and long-term health.” 

“Our Commonwealth must fully fund our public transit system and invest in a fossil fuel-free future,” said Miriam Posner Harris, Executive Vice President at the Environmental League of Massachusetts. “Businesses and institutions recognize that modernizing and decarbonizing our transportation sector would improve our economy, public health, and quality of life in all corners of the state. Massachusetts has the opportunity to serve as a model for solving these pervasive challenges.” 

###