The Massachusetts legislative hearing on a wide variety of renewable Energy Bills was held on Tuesday at the Statehouse before the Joint Committee on Telecommunications , Utilities and Energy, chaired by Senator Ben Downing and Representative . John Keenan. Both legislators are well versed in the complexities of energy policy in the state; their questions and comments displayed authentic objectivity in discerning the value to all citizens of the bills presented.
There was strong support among those testifying for House Bill 2915 , sponsored by Rep. Thomas Calter, which if enacted will guarantee a floor price for SRECS or Solar Renewable Energy Certificates. The next two weeks while the SRECS clearing house auctions in Massachusetts are held will provide important data for considering this bill. Presently SRECS are trading below the bench mark price of $300.00, the state suggested
would effectively constitute a floor in 2010 when the program began. Representatives from one Massachusetts electric utility testified against the bill.
Representing our customers and BPVS , Chris Derby Kilfoyle testified in support of Senate Bill 5193 sponsored by Sen, Finegold , Sen Eldridge and others to include solar thermal energy devices as eligible for special incentives based on their production. We believe this will lead to more solar hot water system installations and pointed out that new devices in development will incorporate both solar thermal and solar electric energy output, making it all the more compelling that Massachusetts develops a category pf licensure to ensure competency for solar installers and consumer protection requirements comparable to those for other licensed trades.
Chris was the only person to testify in support of House Bill 2951 sponsored by Rep. Peter Kocot of Northampton. This bill would set aside a small amount of the funds collected by the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust to assure small farms a chance at renewable energy ownership to off set their electricity costs. Many farms need the promise of state funding , a little greater than that offered by the Commonwealth Solar rebate program , to leverage eligibility for the USDA federal grants for farm energy. No one testified against the bill so it is now likely the bill will go to the floor for a vote in this session. That does not mean it will sail through the legislature unless those for whom small farms are important can make their voices heard. Western Mass and generally rural area legislators will support this bill but they are a minority.
Easing restrictions on low impact hydro generation is the focus of several bills . Senator Downing and Reprsentative Pignatelli of the Berkshires are co-sponsors of the most comprehensive bills in this category. Those of us at the hearing from the solar industry were not surprised to hear of the endless and expensive bureacratic hurdles small hydro facilities have to endure to come on line with clean energy. Our industry has overcome some of these hurdles in recent years. Its’ time to allow responsibly sited and managed small hydro generation plants a chance to enter the generation mix without having to go through regulations designed for multi megawatt facilities. The Commonwealth owes a lot to the entire Berkshire delegation for making energy generation regulations transparent and fair . Please write in support of Senate Bills 1582 and 1583 sponsored by Senator Downing and Rep. Pignatelli.
Posted By: RM . (2013-07-18)