ASHFIELD — State Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, informed 1st Franklin District constituents about recent and future legislation geared toward energy and protecting the environment on Friday.

The town hall-style conversation, organized by Blais at Town Hall, reviewed various pieces of legislation from the 191st session. Some of the bills discussed include “An act protecting consumers from unreasonable utility rate increases” (H.3143), “An act to encourage solar canopies on parking lots” (H.3144) and “An act expanding community access to electric bicycles” (H.3145). Blais also mentioned a climate bill that is expected to pass through the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy within the next two weeks, with the Senate having already passed its version of the bill.

“That is tremendous progress and it is a direct result of hearing from you,” she told those gathered at Town Hall. “It is really important that we have been hearing from constituents about this topic.”

Blais’ visit comes in the midst of Ashfield’s effort to become a Climate Leader community, with plans to submit the application for this state designation by the end of August. Ashfield passed three articles at its Annual Town Meeting in May that are necessary for a Climate Leader designation, the first of which is a decarbonization resolution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to clean, renewable energy sources by 2050. The second calls for Ashfield to eventually replace old town-owned vehicles with more energy-efficient electric or hybrid vehicles whenever possible, and the third calls for early adoption of a specialized energy code that lays out new energy performance standards for any new building construction, effective January 2025.

Roughly 25 residents from towns including Ashfield, Buckland, Conway, Hadley and Shelburne Falls came out to Town Hall, asking questions and praising Blais on her efforts to fight climate change and push legislation with reasonable utility rate increases.

“I am just so proud of the Ashfield community for participating in this,” Ashfield Energy Committee member Mary Quigley commented.

Blais was joined by former Trout Unlimited President and Florence resident Michael Vito to discuss environmental issues with the Deerfield River. Vito said he fell in love with the Deerfield River when he was 10 years old and has been fishing in the area ever since. Trout Unlimited is a nonprofit dedicated to conserving and restoring America’s coldwater rivers and fisheries to help native species of fish survive.

“We’re interested in enhancing what is wild, what is born in the river,” Vito explained. “In order to keep that going, we need cold, clean water.”

“When I hear Michael talk about this,” said Blais, “it reminds us of the importance of our river health, what is in our rivers and the importance of caring for them.”

Vito emphasized the importance of coldwater habitat for the survival of various species of trout, specifically brown trout in the Deerfield River. Vito said that although brown trout are not native to the river, it is important to help preserve the species. Trout Unlimited is working on various projects to decrease water temperatures to keep fish and their eggs alive, including attempting to increase water levels and water flow through dams.

An informational packet Blais distributed to attendees noted, “I am fighting to protect Massachusetts residents from unreasonable utility rate increases, coordinate efforts to address the climate emergency, and make sure that planning for climate change adaptation helps those who are the worst impacted by changes in our climate.”