Energy and Environment

on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy; Founding Chair and current member of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change; and member of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. Senator Pacheco has been appointed by the Council of State Governments (CSG) as Co-Chair of the Eastern Regional Conference (ERC) Energy & Environment Committee and to the National ‘Future of Work’ Task Force serving as Chair of the Subcommittee on Smart Government. He has also been appointed to the CSG/ERC Territorial Relations Committee and the National Conference of State Legislature (NCSL) Task Force on Energy Supply. Senator Pacheco has been a longtime environmental advocate and an Al Gore Climate Messenger with the Climate Reality Project who has fought hard to implement climate change solutions in the Commonwealth. He was lead sponsor the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008, which was enacted into law to establish an economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions and implement comprehensive sustainable solutions in Massachusetts. Senator Pacheco has received numerous awards from various organizations throughout his career including honors from Environment Massachusetts and the Sustainable Future Campaign - an initiative of the United Nations Youth and Student Association. He has received the Commander of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator, the highest civilian award given by the Portuguese government; the Grand Decoration of Honor in Gold with Star from the Republic of Austria, the fourth highest decoration of merit the country can confer on the federal level; and the Medalha da Ordem de Timor Leste, for his contributions to the U.N. Referendum for East Timor independence. Before his service in the Massachusetts Legislature, Senator Pacheco served for 10 years as an elected member of the Taunton School Committee serving as its chair and as the chief of staff and budget director to the Mayor of the City of Taunton for seven years.