SENATE DOCKET, NO. 151        FILED ON: 1/11/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2117

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 advancing clean energy, equity, and innovation within municipal utilities.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 151        FILED ON: 1/11/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2117

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act advancing clean energy, equity, and innovation within municipal utilities.

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. Chapter 23J of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 15 the following section: - “Section X. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund known as the Municipal Utility Equity and Innovation Fund to be administered by the center. (b) The center shall make expenditures from the fund for the purpose of providing grants to support municipal utility projects that advance the deployment of clean energy, energy storage, building decarbonization, distribution capacity, integrated resource planning, the retirement of fossil fuel facilities, or peak energy reduction. (c) The center shall prioritize projects that explicitly and directly benefit environmental justice populations as defined in section 62 of chapter 30, low or moderate income housing as defined in section 20 of chapter 40B, or elderly housing as defined in section 1 of chapter 19D  to receive grants through this fund. (d) The center shall prioritize projects that advance new, innovative technologies, strategies, and methods to equitably reduce emissions for grants through this fund. (e) The fund's activity shall be included in the annual report required by section 5. The center shall also annually file, no later than October 1 and at least 30 days prior to the expenditure of any funds, a plan detailing the planned uses of funds in the upcoming calendar year with the joint committee on telecommunications, utilities and energy and the house and senate committees on ways and means; provided, however, that in the development of this plan, the center shall hold at least 1 public hearing to solicit stakeholder feedback. (f) Fifty million dollars for the Municipal Utility Equity and Innovation Fund shall be fully incorporated in the general appropriations act not than fiscal year 2024, subject to appropriation. Any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund.

SECTION 2. Section 11F of chapter 25A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (i) and inserting in place thereof the following subsections:-

(i) Beginning in the year 2030 and thereafter, municipal lighting plants shall meet the obligations set forth in this section.

(j) $7.5 million shall be allocated from the Municipal Utility Equity and Innovation Fund, subject to appropriation, to directly support qualifying municipal utilities in meeting the obligations set forth in this section by 2030. Qualifying municipal utilities shall either: (a) has an annual load that is less than 20,000 MWh or (b) serve municipalities with a median household income that is below the state’s average median income.

SECTION 3. Section 17 of said chapter 25A is hereby amended by striking out subsection (d) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(d) Beginning in the year 2030 and thereafter, municipal lighting plants shall meet the obligations set forth in this section