FILED ON: 10/13/2011

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2032

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Eleven

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An Act relative to solar energy generation.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 9H of Chapter 723 of the Acts of 1983, as amended by section 9V of chapter 233 of the Acts of 1984, is hereby amended by striking out said section 9H, and inserting in place thereof the following section: 

SECTION 9H. The commissioner of the department of environmental protection is hereby authorized to expend a sum not exceeding ten million dollars for a program of grants to cities, towns and solid waste disposal districts for the purpose of planning, design, and construction of projects for the closure, in an environmentally-sound manner of publicly-owned landfills. Such grants shall not exceed eighty per cent of the eligible costs of said planning, design and construction projects, as determined by the department of environmental protection, and shall be made on the basis of criteria, standards and a system of priority established in regulations adopted by said department in accordance with chapter thirty A of the General Laws provided that any landfill closed pursuant to this act shall be used solely for the purposes of active and passive recreation or renewable energy, notwithstanding any rule or regulation to the contrary, in accordance with a permit issued by said department pursuant to 310 CMR 19.000.  This provision shall apply retroactively as well as prospectively to any closed landfills so that the parties to any current deed restriction may amend it to allow for renewable energy use.

SECTION 2. Section 122 of chapter 169 of the acts of 2008 is hereby amended by striking out the words “June 30, 2012” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- June 30, 2017.