April 23, 2012
Massachusetts Senate Passes Bill on Competitively Priced Electricity in the Commonwealth
Four years after Massachusetts enacted the Green Communities Act and launched a program to promote renewables and energy efficiency throughout the Commonwealth, the Legislature is poised to expand these programs, especially to promote more "behind the meter" renewable energy produced from solar photovoltaics, wind and anaerobic digestion.
On April 5, 2012, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 2214, An Act Relative to Competitively Priced Electricity in the Commonwealth. It was drafted in response to reports that Massachusetts has the seventh-highest average electricity rates in the United States, and in response to the threats these high energy costs pose to economic growth and recovery in the Commonwealth. SB 2214 aims to address these issues by expanding incentives provided under the Green Communities Act of 2008. If passed by the House of Representatives and signed into law by the governor, it would also advance the Commonwealth’s commitment to green energy by encouraging renewable energy development in a cost-effective manner.
On April 5, 2012, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 2214, An Act Relative to Competitively Priced Electricity in the Commonwealth. It was drafted in response to reports that Massachusetts has the seventh-highest average electricity rates in the United States, and in response to the threats these high energy costs pose to economic growth and recovery in the Commonwealth. SB 2214 aims to address these issues by expanding incentives provided under the Green Communities Act of 2008. If passed by the House of Representatives and signed into law by the governor, it would also advance the Commonwealth’s commitment to green energy by encouraging renewable energy development in a cost-effective manner.