NOTE! Take action now for local voices and control of energy projects!

Hello Friends

The Commission on Energy Infrastructure Siting and Permitting appointed by Governor Maura Healey has released a draft of its recommendations that removes local control and regional oversight for the siting of renewable energy facilities and certain utility infrastructure. The public comment period is over, but you can still:

Sign here to tell the Commission, and including your Senator and your Representative, that you strongly oppose this gutting of home rule/local control and regional oversight over energy projects or any subsequent proposed legislation that weakens home rule. This can be signed anytime during the legislative session that ends July 31. 

 Please forward to your friends, and town Boards ( Planning Board, Zoning Board, Conservation Commission, Board of Health)  who will be severely hobbled and basically shut out of the permitting process for large scale solar, battery energy storage systems, wind turbine facilities ( including onshore), biomass and more. 

For an individual letter:

To: CEISP@mass.gov

cc: mike.barrett@masenate.gov; jeffrey.roy@mahouse.gov,   (they are the Chairs, Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy)

Cc:  Your State Senator and State Representative found here malegislature.gov

The Commission is considering the following alarming changes to current law. Please oppose the following:

 All local and state permits would be consolidated into one state permit issued by a single state agency.

• Municipalities would be stripped of permitting authority, and would only be allowed to submit advisory opinions to the state agency. They could conduct fact-finding with applicants and the public, but would otherwise have no local role.
• Any reviews at a local level would be a consolidated review, combining Zoning Board of Appeals, Conservation Commissions and other local boards who may have opposing views and rulings but would need to issue one opinion.
• The definition of clean energy projects removed from local control could be expanded to include not just commercial solar and wind turbine facilities and landfill-gas sites, but also energy-storage facilities (such as massive battery complexes and pumped-storage ponds), certain utility transmission and distribution infrastructure and biomass.
• This single state agency would likely also be responsible for fossil fuel generation facilities, pipelines, and liquified natural gas storage units.
• Other state agencies would also be stripped of permitting authority such as the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act or MEPA review which is currently required for many energy-related projects, particularly larger ones and would need to align with other agencies which have had historically opposing rulings.
• Only “intervening parties” would be allowed to file briefs on disputed issues through evidentiary hearings held by the single state agency. This severely restricts who is allowed to participate in legal proceedings.
• If the single state agency did not issue a permit within a restricted timetable, a consolidated permit would be issued automatically to the developer under a pre-defined set of permitting conditions, a so-called constructive permit.
• Regional regulatory oversight, in the counties that have that right would be eliminated which is critically important to maintain checks and balances.

The Commission’s recommendations are expected to be followed immediately by legislative action.

The state legislature is currently working on a major energy bill that would entail the same loss of local control over many types of energy and utility projects.

Regards,
Community Land and Water Coalition 

https://communitylandandwater.org/

Michael Kellett, Executive Director, RESTORE: the North Woods

https://www.restore.org/

Janet Sinclair, Save Massachusetts Forests

https://www.savemassforests.com/