SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2574        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Bruce E. Tarr

_________________

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 establishing the New England Fusion Research Compact.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2574        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

_______________

An Act establishing the New England Fusion Research Compact.

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 - The Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, in consultation with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, is hereby authorized and directed to develop and implement the framework of a regional compact among the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and Connecticut for the purposes of research and development regarding energy produced by nuclear fusion. Said compact shall include, but not be limited to, the mission of the compact, specific focus areas, personnel and financial requirements, and other elements necessary to the operation of the compact.

Section 2 - The compact shall include the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals for, finance, and operate, one or more nuclear fusion reactors for research, provided that the costs of such actions shall be addressed by a formula to facilitate fair contributions from each member state, together with any gifts or grants, including but not limited to those provided by the United States Department of Energy. Such plan may include recommendations for regulatory or statutory measures to assess regulated energy companies for costs associated with the compact.

Section 3 - The secretary shall establish a Fusion Research Council to provide guidance in carrying out the provisions of this act. Said council shall consist of the secretary, who shall serve as its chair, the executive director of the clean energy center, the secretary of economic development or a designee, the commissioner of the department of environmental protection or a designee, and 7 members appointed by the governor, whom shall include individuals representing 3 institutions of higher learning in the commonwealth, 1 of which shall be the University of Massachusetts and 1 of which shall be the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1 member representing employers in the commonwealth,  1 member representing organized labor in the commonwealth, 1 member representing an organization engaged in independent nuclear energy research in the commonwealth, and 1 member representing the taxpayers of the commonwealth. The council shall convene as deemed necessary by its chair, but not less than quarterly.

Section 4 - The secretary, in accordance with the plan developed pursuant to this act, and subject to the approval of the governor and the great and general court, shall solicit member states for participation in the compact, provided that such states shall designate representatives according to the terms of the compact.  Representatives shall serve for a term, and under such conditions, as the state being represented shall establish.

Section 5 - The secretary shall submit the plan developed pursuant to section 1 in the form of legislation filed with the clerk of the Senate not later than 12 months following the passage of this act, the passage of which shall constitute the approval prescribed in section 4.

Section 6 - The secretary shall file reports detailing the progress made in the development of the compact, any costs estimates for its implementation, and any recommendations for legislative or regulatory actions to advance the mission of the compact, not less than every three months, with the clerks of the House and Senate, the Joint Committee on Telecommunications and Energy, and the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means.