The Massachusetts bill includes siting reform, which will help speed the buildout of solar and other clean energy technologies.
The Massachusetts legislature passed S.2967, a climate bill that took a year for the House and Senate to agree upon. It addresses what Vote Solar said is “the pressing climate crisis by facilitating a path away from polluting fossil fuels and towards the streamlined adoption of clean energy resources”.
“Now, more than ever, state-level legislation is crucial in transitioning towards clean energy. We applaud legislators for passing this bill and recognizing that we urgently need to address the climate crisis, while also prioritizing equity in the process,” said Vote Solar’s Northeast director, Elena Weissmann. “We congratulate the Senate and House leadership and the advocates who did not take the pressure off, for the passing of this bill.”
The bill includes siting reform, which will help speed the buildout of solar and other clean energy technologies. It extends regional clean energy procurement timelines and offers battery energy storage incentives along with an energy storage procurement program, similar to what the Commonwealth has in place for offshore wind procurement. A building regulations board will be required to consider emissions and embodied carbon considerations. And the bill brings the existing Office of Environmental Justice and Equity into law and includes environmental justice protections.
The Sierra Club said in a statement that the “final compromised language” includes wins that add support for climate mandates and ratepayer interests in methane gas infrastructure spending.
“We are encouraged to see the legislature put reasonable restrictions on expanding our polluting methane gas system. This will protect ratepayers, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and create healthier communities,” said Jess Nahigian, political director of the Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter.
With passage of this bill, Massachusetts again shows clean energy leadership among other states. The Commonwealth jumped up from nineteenth to eleventh in the country for solar capacity; its growth attributed to the innovative Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program that was established in 2018.
As a result of the SMART program, solar provides almost 25% of Massachusetts’ electricity needs with 5.3 GW of solar installed or enough to power nearly one-million homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
The bill now heads to Governor Maura Healey to sign.
