Climate activists are lashing out at leaders of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, saying a clean energy bill passed Thursday night doesn't go far enough.

The battle is over the state's "Renewable Portfolio Standard," which tells electric companies what percentage of their sales must come from clean power. House bill 4738 requires much slower growth in the RPS than a Senate bill passed in June that would have attained a 100 percent renewable standard by 2047.

Mass Power Forward, a coalition of 150 groups, said the "paltry increase" represents an "utter abdication of progressive leadership on renewable energy." Andrew Gordon of 350 Massachusetts said the RPS choice was "unconscionable." Claire Miller of Toxics Action Center said she is "shocked" at House inaction on climate change.

Amendments by various lawmakers to upgrade the RPS, protect ratepayers from paying for pipelines, and ensure environmental justice were squelched by House leadership, the groups said in a statement.

The groups said utility companies, "regular campaign contributors to members of House leadership," lobbied against increasing the Renewable Portfolio Standard.

As it is, the RPS goes up 1 percent per year, and will reach 25 percent by 2030. The Senate bill would have increased the RPS by 3 percent annually. The House bill mandates a 2 percent growth rate starting in 2021, keeps it at 2 percent until the end of 2030, then brings it back down to 1 percent.

Asked for comment, Eversource spokeswoman Priscilla Ress said the utility is "closely monitoring the progress of the bills and will abide by all laws and regulations, as we always do."

Rep. Stephen Kulik, a Worthington Democrat and longtime environmentalist, said on Facebook that three energy bills passed by the House will reduce the state's reliance on fossil fuel.

"While I would have liked to see a further increase in the RPS, this change, when coupled with our other clean energy policies, will bring our Commonwealth to 48.69% clean energy by 2030 -- 68.69% when counting Canadian hydropower and offshore wind," Kulik wrote on Facebook.

Kulik said he filed amendments to reform the state's Department of Public Utilities, which approves capacity contracts for natural gas pipelines, but that the amendments were ruled outside the bill's scope.

Today, the House of Representatives passed three bills that will help Massachusetts reduce our dependence on fossil... Posted by Steve Kulik on Thursday, July 12, 2018

The climate groups did not comment on parts of the House bill that would shave peak power demand using clean resources, including battery storage systems backed by renewables.

The bill would create "Clean Capacity Credits" and a "Clean Peak Standard" requiring utilities to meet periods of highest electricity demand with a percentage of low-carbon power.

The House passed several standalone bills in response to the ambitious, omnibus Senate bill. The Legislature has until July 31 to address remaining issues, such as lifting the cap on solar net metering or instituting carbon pricing.

"From (Thursday's) actions we see that the Mass. House is prepared to offer tepid clean energy legislation," said Emily Norton, Massachusetts director for the Sierra Club. "We will only be ramping up the pressure now."

"As a climate justice advocate, I know that time is of the essence," said Miller. "Our constituents can't wait until the next session. Heat waves, floods, and storms are happening now."