Local Control versus Centralized Control
With scientific evidence showing the dangers of rising temperatures and Massachusetts experiencing more frequent severe storms, Governor Healey has prioritized addressing ways to reduce the impact of global warming.
On April 1, 2024, the Mass Commission on Clean Energy Infrastructure Siting and Permitting released a report recommending a transformative strategy to meet the state’s mandated clean energy and climate goals with green clean energy.
The strategy involves consolidating the siting and permitting of renewable energy facilities and infrastructure into a single review, with an accelerated timetable for permit issuance, promising a brighter, cleaner future for Massachusetts
That is a major change as the present local control of permitting of green energy facilities will be replaced by a consolidated permit process. That means, traditional sources of energy will be replaced with clean green energy plants of up to 25 MWh using a consolidated permit that supersedes local bylaws. The consolidated permit is required to be given within 12 months of the application for the completed permit by local boards. For more extensive facilities, the permits will be granted in 15 months by the state.
It is anticipated that the effect of the proposed buildout enabled by the legislation will disproportionately affect the western MA counties. A government report projects that “even with maximal rooftop [solar panel] deployment far above historic levels,” 60,000 acres of ground-mounted solar array will be needed by 2050 to meet the state’s clean energy and climate goals. Another official report estimates that if all thermal power plants are shut down, our state will need about 158,000 acres for solar panels by then. This has a significant impact on the Berkshire environment and economy that cannot be ignored.
It is important if we are going to be successful in maintaining the Berkshires we love that the House and Senate leadership remove those sections related to energy facilities siting from the Governor’s proposed FY2024 closeout supplemental budget bill, AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2024 TO PROVIDE FOR SUPPLEMENTING CERTAIN EXISTING APPROPRIATIONS AND FOR CERTAIN OTHER ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS. We believe these are sections 32 (page 27) through Section 65 (page 55).
That is because this proposed legislation imparts too much power to the energy facility siting board and not enough at the local level as the proposed provision would effectively remove local control from the approval process for large and small clean energy infrastructure facilities. Since much of the land the facilities would likely be built on is in rural areas, such as Berkshire County, local municipalities must maintain meaningful control over permitting.
Furthermore, during the last session the legislature has been using the normal process of debating the appropriate siting of energy facilities through the legislative process. It is essential that the process be continued until compromise legislation is arrived at through proper legislative deliberation, even if this means carrying over to the next legislative session, not approving a piece of legislation as important as energy sitting through a supplemental budget that is used to close out fiscal years.
Residents in Berkshire County support the transition to clean energy, but it must be done in a manner consistent with local community goals and desires, not imposed by some outside board, state agency, or commission unfamiliar with the local long-held tradition and values.
Legislators must receive hundreds of emails from residents and visitors of western MA expressing their concerns about the future of their hometowns.
YOU CAN TAKE ACTION!
Please email the following legislators to express your concerns about this legislation. You can write one email, then click on the following names and paste your message email in the body of the email. rep.smitty@mahouse.gov Tricia.FarleyBouvier@mahouse.gov Ryan.Fattman@masenate.gov John.barrett@mahouse.gov Mike.Barrett@masenate.gov
Kelly.Pease@mahouse.gov
Michael.Rodrigues@masenate.gov
Cindy.Friedman@masenate.gov
Jo.Comerford@masenate.gov
Patrick.OConnor@masenate.gov
Thank you. Your emails can make a difference as legislators count them as they make their decisions.
Editor’s note: What is 60,000 acres? Well, Stockbridge is roughly 23,000 acres and Lee is 27,000 acres. To accommodate the need expressed in the proposed legislation, it would cover an area 10,000 acres larger than the area of the two towns combined.
