Since last week, lawmakers at the State House in Boston have been actively pushing for a legislation that would transition the state of Massachusetts to become fully powered by renewable energy. This action was proposed at a time when the attitude towards renewable energy has shifted in the White House. Many experts predict that research and implementation of non-traditional energy sources will not be a priority for the Trump administration.

This specific law proposal was presented under the official name of “An Act to Transition Massachusetts to 100 percent Renewable Energy,” and it intends to have the state source all of its energy from renewables sources by 2035.

Furthermore, the legislature also includes plans to abolish the use of fossil fuels by 2050 completely. This would mean that all sectors and services, such as transportation, heating, and manufacturing, would have to switch entirely to clean energy in their operations.

One of the three lawmakers who brought this bill forward is the Democratic State Senator James B. Eldridge, who is currently calling his colleagues to support the implementation of this new law. In an official statement on his Facebook page, Eldridge lauded the progress that the state has already made in supporting clean energy, and described Massachusetts as “a leader on alternative energy policy for over a decade.” He also went on to explain his reasoning for filing such a legislature by saying that, “With federal assaults on efforts to combat climate change, it will be up to individual states to protect the environmental and health interests of the public, and this bill will allow the commonwealth to remain a beacon of hope in moving away from fossil fuels.”

Democratic Representatives Sean Garballey and Marjorie Decker were the other two lawmakers who sponsored this bill initially. Garballey pointed out that this bill will do more that simply provide guidelines for a transition to clean energy. “This legislation provides a bold step by placing the Commonwealth on a path to a cleaner and more sustainable future,” he said. Additionally, “it encourages job creation, protects and sustains our natural resources, reduces our carbon footprint and would benefit the health and well-being of our citizens in immeasurable ways. More importantly, it signals to the country our commitment to long-term solutions in meeting the very real challenges of climate change, and lights the way for similar efforts across the nation.”

Decker emphasized the need for such a bill and expressed her gratitude for being involved in promoting this bill among fellow lawmakers. “I am energized by the goals and ideas laid out in this bill,” she said. “This signifies a tremendous opportunity to put the environment at the forefront of our public policy discussion. Representative Garballey and I proudly represent constituents who strongly advocate for renewable energy and I am pleased to provide legislative support to their work.”

The lawmakers have also received support in promoting this bill by “Environment Massachusetts,” which is an environmental advocacy group.

So far, a total of 53 lawmakers, which is around a quarter of the state legislature, have committed to supporting this bill and have signed on to it.

Should this bill be passed, it would complement the Global Warming Solutions Act, which was voted into law already in 2008. It introduced regulations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state of Massachusetts by 25 percent by 2020.