Amendment #14 to H4897

Ferry system electrification

Mr. Fernandes of Falmouth moves to amend the bill by adding the following 2 sections:

“SECTION XXXX. Chapter 21N of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 3B the following section:-

Section 3C. The department of energy resources and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the conversion of ferries operated by the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and ferry operators licensed pursuant to section 1 of chapter 88 to electric and hybrid electric ferries. The rules and regulations shall, in accordance with the findings and recommendations of the joint study on electric ferry conversion, establish a timeline and mandatory benchmarks to ensure that the conversion shall comply with the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits established pursuant to subsection (b) of section 3.

SECTION YYYY. (a) The department of energy resources and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, in collaboration with domestic electric utilities as defined in section 1 of chapter 164A of the General Laws, shall conduct a joint study on electric ferry conversion. The study shall examine the feasibility of converting ferries operated by the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and ferry operators licensed pursuant to section 1 of chapter 88 of the General Laws to electric and hybrid electric ferries by 2050 to comply with the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits established in subsection (b) of section 3 of chapter 21N of the General Laws. The study shall investigate: (i) the technology necessary to accomplish the transition to electric or hybrid electric ferry service; (ii) the availability of said technology; (iii) costs and benefits of making the transition, including but not limited to the cost of negative externalities associated with greenhouse gas emissions; (iv) the feasibility of ferry operators to make the transition and any operational or infrastructure limitations to the transition; (v) the feasibility of the electrification of shoreside infrastructure; (vi) the feasibility and cost of intermediate retrofits to existing vessels, including but not limited to the conversion of diesel mechanical vessels to hybrid diesel electric or plug-in electric vessels with backup diesel; (vii) the availability of technical assistance or other private or public programs to facilitate the transition to electric or hybrid electric ferry service; and (viii) the operations of electric ferries already in service in Europe and elsewhere in the world. The study shall draw upon existing ferry system electrification plans whenever appropriate. The departments shall file a report, including recommendations and drafts of legislation necessary to carry those recommendations into effect, with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate and the chairs of the joint committee on telecommunications, utilities and energy no later than 1 year after the effective date of this act.

(b) In accordance with the study’s findings and recommendations, the department of energy resources and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with section 3C of chapter 21N of the General Laws to establish a timeline and mandatory benchmarks to ensure that the conversion shall comply with the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits established in subsection (b) of section 3 of said chapter 21N; provided, that the rules and regulations shall be promulgated not later than 180 days after the filing of the study’s report.”

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #14 to H4897

Ferry system electrification