Vote YES on Question 10 to tell your state representative that Massachusetts should make fossil-fuel companies pay for the pollution their fuels cause—and return the proceeds directly to residents as monthly payments.
Question 10 is a local, non-binding public policy question on the November 2026 ballot for voters in the 1st and 8th Essex House districts. It will not create a new fee or start a payment program by itself. A Yes vote tells your representative that you support introducing and voting for legislation to create a fair carbon fee and return the money to Massachusetts residents.
The Question on Your Ballot
Shall the representative from this district be instructed to introduce and vote for legislation that places a fee on carbon content of fossil fuels to compensate for their environmental pollution, and return the proceeds directly to residents as monthly payments?
In Plain English: Polluters Pay. Residents Get CashBack.
Fossil fuels create pollution and climate-related costs that communities already pay through health impacts, damage from extreme weather, higher insurance costs, and the work required to protect homes, roads, and public infrastructure. But those costs are not fully reflected in the price of oil and gas.
CleanAir CashBack supports a straightforward idea: place a fee on the carbon pollution associated with fossil fuels when they enter Massachusetts, then return the money collected directly to residents in regular monthly payments.
- Pollution gets a price. The proposal would ask the companies that sell carbon-intensive fossil fuels to contribute toward the pollution-related costs of their products.
- Residents receive the proceeds. Instead of keeping the revenue for general state spending, the policy would return it to Massachusetts residents as monthly CashBack payments.
- Families retain choice. Households could use their payments for whatever matters most: heating, groceries, transportation, home improvements, a more efficient appliance, or other everyday needs.
- Cleaner choices become more competitive. Putting a price on pollution helps account for the real cost of fossil fuels and encourages investment in cleaner alternatives.
What Does a Yes Vote Do?
Question 10 is advisory, not binding. It does not enact a carbon fee, create a tax, or send monthly payments. It asks whether voters want their state representative to introduce and support legislation that could establish a carbon fee-and-CashBack policy.
The Legislature would still need to debate and decide the details of any future law—such as the fee level, which fuels would be covered, how payments would be delivered, protections for low- and moderate-income households, and how the policy would work alongside existing Massachusetts climate programs.
Why it Matters on the North Shore
North Shore communities have a direct stake in both sides of this question. Coastal flooding and sea-level rise threaten homes, local businesses, public infrastructure, and shorefront neighborhoods. Extreme heat, drought, and poorer air quality also carry real health and economic costs.
At the same time, local families are balancing the costs of heating their homes, commuting, food, insurance, and other necessities. Returning revenue directly to residents is designed to make climate policy fairer: the polluting fuel is charged, while people receive monthly CashBack they can use according to their own household priorities.
A Massachusetts Conversation with History
Question 10 builds on prior Massachusetts climate-policy efforts. The Commonwealth already participates in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, which puts a price on carbon pollution from power plants and supports energy-efficiency and clean-energy investments.
Similar non-binding carbon-fee questions appeared on ballots in three Massachusetts House districts in 2022. Those results showed strong support in some communities and helped begin a broader public conversation about whether Massachusetts should use a carbon fee and direct payments to residents as part of its climate strategy.
The 2026 wording uses simpler language—“pollution,” “directly to residents,” and “monthly payments”—so voters can clearly understand both the problem the policy addresses and the proposed benefit to households.
Who will see Question 10?
Question 10 will appear on November 2026 ballots in parts of the following Massachusetts House districts:
- 1st Essex: Newburyport, Salisbury, Merrimac, and Amesbury Districts 2, 3, 4, and 5.
- 8th Essex: Marblehead, Swampscott, Lynn Ward 3 Precinct 4, and Lynn Ward 4 Precincts 3A, 4, and A.
If you are unsure whether you live in one of these districts, check your voter information before Election Day.
The Bottom Line
Question 10 asks a simple question of fairness: when fossil-fuel companies profit from products that create pollution and climate damage, should they help pay those costs—and should the money come back to Massachusetts residents?
CleanAir CashBack believes the answer is YES! A Yes vote supports cleaner air, a safer climate, and monthly payments that put money back in the hands of Massachusetts households.
Vote Yes on Question 10!
Learn More
- Read the Frequently Asked Questions.
- Learn how CleanAir CashBack would work.
- Get involved with the campaign.
- Contact CleanAir CashBack.
CleanAir CashBack is an all-volunteer grassroots campaign. The campaign supports a Yes vote on Question 10.