Program Description
The Climate Policy Summer Internship Program is run by the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability in collaboration with climate-focused legislative offices at the Massachusetts State House. The program places Harvard undergraduate and graduate students in legislative offices whose policy agendas address climate, environmental, or sustainability issues in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Through this internship, students gain hands-on experience supporting real-time legislative work while developing a deeper understanding of how climate policy is shaped at the state level. Interns contribute to policy research, stakeholder engagement, and legislative processes while working closely with staff in elected offices.
The program is designed to support students interested in careers at the intersection of climate, policy, and public service. In addition to their placements, interns participate in bi-weekly professional development programming that connects students with climate policy practitioners, Harvard faculty, and peers across the cohort.
Internships are primarily in-person at the Massachusetts State House. Depending on the legislative office, some flexibility around start and end dates may be available.
About the State Legislature
Legislative sessions in Massachusetts are 2 years long. A new legislative session starts on the first Wednesday in January of the odd-numbered years (2027, 2029 etc.) All formal business of the first year of the session concludes in November of that year. The legislature then sits in an informal session until the first Wednesday of January of the second year (2026, 2028, etc.) when the second year of the session begins.
Students working at the Massachusetts State House should anticipate different kinds of work depending on when their internship takes place relative to the legislative session cycle.
Year 1: Written testimony, attend hearings for bills, develop infographics, support work related to budget debate, etc.
Year 2: Research on current bills, research for new bills for the next session, tracking legislation, tracking amendments, attend briefings, etc.
Learn about the legislative process in Massachusetts.
Past & Current Legislative Offices
2023 | 2024 | 2025
2026 Participating Legislative Offices
Representative Tommy Vitolo, 15th Norfolk
Priority Areas: Clean Energy Transition, Climate Action and Resilience, Environmental Justice
Representative Tommy Vitolo advocates for climate action, sustainability, and clean energy. With a Ph.D. in systems engineering from Boston University, he has focused his Legislative work on reducing carbon emissions, promoting renewable energy, and addressing the impacts of climate change on all communities. Before his legislative work, Rep. Vitolo was an associate at Synapse Energy Economics, where he worked to retire coal plants, cut pollution, and transition to clean energy systems. While at the State House, Rep. Vitolo has championed initiatives like adding solar panels to public buildings, barring fossil fuels from new developments, promoting bike lanes to support sustainable living in his community of Brookline, and updating regulations to promote the transition to clean energy. His work reflects a strong commitment to community-driven solutions and meaningful reforms to combat environmental challenges.
Senator Dylan Fernandes, Plymouth & Barnstable District
Priority Areas: Renewable Energy, Agricultural Resilience, Eco-Tourism and Developing a Blue Economy, Resource Protection, Clean Water.
Senator Fernandes is committed to addressing the climate crisis with the urgency it demands, driving economic growth in Massachusetts through clean energy and innovation. In 2017, he sponsored successful legislation (H.3564) recommitting Massachusetts to the Paris Climate Accord. He also created the state’s first Ocean Acidification Commission and champions renewable energy, including offshore wind, envisioning his district as a leader in the Blue Economy. A strong advocate for clean water, he supported the Cape and Islands Water Protection Fund, which provides major subsidies for wastewater infrastructure, and helped triple the Title 5 Septic System Tax Credit to protect waterways. These efforts promote sustainability and economic resilience. Interns will assist with research, policy memos, press materials, and may create graphics, attend briefings, and handle administrative office responsibilities.
Representative Joan Meschino, 3rd Plymouth
Priority Areas: Natural and Working Lands, Building Decarbonization, Climate Finance, Drought Management
Interns working in Representative Meschino’s office provide daily legislative and communication support and will be asked to apply their academic research and writing skills to a specific policy area in support of the Representative’s current climate legislation. Representative Meschino’s climate-related priority areas include natural and working lands, building decarbonization, climate finance, and drought management.
Representative David LeBoeuf, 17th Worcester
Priority Areas: Economic Justice, Health Equity, Water Resource Management
Representative LeBoeuf’s climate policies are centered on economic justice and health equity. He has spearheaded efforts to make public transportation fare-free in Central Massachusetts and is the lead sponsor of legislation to electrify buses for public transit. Rep. LeBoeuf’s district is a designated environmental justice community, and he is working locally to mitigate heat islands, remediate brownfield sites, reduce childhood exposure to lead, and manage water resources.
Representative Steve Owens, 29th Middlesex
Priority Areas: Clean Energy Transition, Transportation Electrification, Building Decarbonization
Representative Steve Owens is a leading advocate for climate action in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. As House Chair of the Clean Energy Legislative Caucus, he advances legislation to transition the Commonwealth to a clean energy economy, with a focus on transportation electrification and phasing out natural gas as a heating source.
Representative Owens also serves as House Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development and is a member of the Committees on Ways and Means; Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity; and Transportation. Interns will assist with research, policy memos, legislative tracking, communications, and general office responsibilities, and may attend briefings or hearings.
Representative Shand, 1st Essex
Priority Areas: Climate Adaptation & Community Resilience, Coastal & Ecosystem Protection (Wetlands, Salt Marshes, Coastal Zones), Water Quality Improvement & Environmental Health
Representing the coastal communities of Newburyport and Salisbury Representative Shand’s climate work focuses on building resilience by advancing critical climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. Her key legislative efforts include innovative housing solutions, coastal zone management and protection, navigating affordability issues surrounding climate goals, and nature-based solutions. Representative Shand has advocated for legislation to mitigate the impacts of climate change through critical salt marsh and wetland restoration. Her office also prioritizes important water quality improvements, especially in the Merrimack River which experiences elevated pollution levels that impact the health of the communities in her district. Interns working in Representative Shand’s office will gain valuable hands-on experience, working closely with her staff and the Representative to learn the policymaking process in Massachusetts.
Representative Mark J. Cusack, 5th Norfolk
Priority Areas: Clean Energy Affordability, Energy Policy & Regulation, Utilities and Telecommunications
Representative Mark Cusack is House Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy, where he leads efforts to advance clean energy legislation while prioritizing affordability for Massachusetts residents. His work during the 195th General Court focuses on evidence-based energy policymaking informed by stakeholder engagement and regulatory analysis.
Interns will support Committee staff by researching and analyzing energy and climate legislation, tracking bills and amendments, reviewing stakeholder testimony, preparing meeting materials, and attending hearings or briefings. Interns may also contribute to talking points and present project updates, gaining hands-on experience in energy policy and the State House legislative process.
