SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2355        FILED ON: 2/19/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2171

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

James B. Eldridge

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act removing barriers for municipal power communities to become green communities.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2355        FILED ON: 2/19/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2171

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act removing barriers for municipal power communities to become green communities.

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. Subsection (b) of Section 20 of Chapter 25 of the of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the words “(1) a municipal light plant” the following words:- or a municipality within a municipal light plant followed by the municipal light plant of the municipality

SECTION 2. Said subsection (b) of said section 20 of said chapter 25, as so appearing, is further amended by inserting after the word “plant”, in line 17, the following words:- or a municipality within a municipal light plant followed by the municipal light plant of the municipality

SECTION 3. Said subsection (b) of said section 20 of said chapter 25, as so appearing, is further amended by inserting after the word “territory”, in line 28, the following words:- or all consumers residing in the municipality within a municipal light plant’s distribution service territory

SECTION 4. Said subsection (b) of said section 20 of said chapter 25, as so appearing, is further amended by inserting after the word “territories”, in line 35, the following words:- or municipality within a distribution service territory

SECTION 5. Said subsection (b) of said section 20 of said chapter 25, as so appearing, is further amended by inserting after the word,  “territory”, in line 38, the following words:- or municipality

SECTION 6. Section 10 of chapter 25A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting the following subsection:-- 

(e ½) The division shall, not later than 1 year after the passage of this act,  issue regulations enabling those communities served by municipal light plants to participate in the green communities program established under section 10 of chapter 25A. The regulations shall include the delivery of the charge of 0.5 mil per kilowatt-hour from municipal light plant to the Renewable Energy Trust Fund on behalf of the served community in their service territory as described in section 20 chapter 25. A single community within a municipal light plant served region shall be allowed to participate in the program without agreement from the other served municipalities. A  majority vote of a municipality's legislative body shall be required to adopt the measure. Following the municipality’s adoption of the measure, a majority vote of the municipal light plant board shall be required to adopt the measure.