BOSTON — The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday to continue developing the offshore wind industry in Massachusetts in an effort to meet the commonwealth’s climate goals of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
The bill would also modernize the state’s electrical grid and energy-storage infrastructure, while creating thousands of new jobs.
This legislation will now go to the Senate for their consideration.
“This bill affirms Massachusetts’ role as a national leader in renewable energy production and our commitment to environmental justice for all its residents,” said state Rep. Daniel Cahill (D-Lynn). “This comes at a critical time where the conflict in Ukraine has sent shockwaves throughout the world and spikes in energy prices.”
This act would make the state’s offshore-wind bidding process more competitive by removing a current price cap that requires bids to be less expensive than previous procurements that has discouraged companies from participating in the procurement process.
Future procurements would now include economic development, employment, and environmental and fisheries mitigation benefits.
“The passage of this legislation will encourage the development of the commonwealth’s offshore-wind sector and bolster the state’s energy diversification and decarbonization efforts,” said state Rep. Peter Capano (D-Lynn). “Importantly, this bill will also stimulate economic growth and lead to the creation of thousands of good-paying jobs for Massachusetts residents.”
The legislation would also invest hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade in infrastructure, innovation, job training, supply-chain capacity, and transmission upgrades.
The legislation consists of tax incentives, grants, loans, and other investments, and also requires utility companies to continuously upgrade the transmission and distribution grid to improve reliability and resilience and accommodate the expected significant shift to renewable forms of energy.
“I’m immensely proud of the steps that the House took to ensure Massachusetts remains at the forefront of renewable energy development,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano. “Not only will this legislation help us reduce our carbon emissions and combat climate change, it will also spur economic development, modernize our energy infrastructure, and create thousands of new jobs in the process.”
This legislation would also invest in long-term energy storage to help the commonwealth’s transition to renewable energy; and create a Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) high-school, offshore-wind-credential training pilot program, through which DESE would reimburse school districts for each student who obtains the credential.
The legislation would create consistency between electric and natural gas, imposing a charge for natural-gas consumers to support renewable energy, similar to the charge electric customers currently pay.
At a little more than $1 a month for the average customer, this is estimated to collect $23 million a year throughout the next 10 years to support the commonwealth’s transition to clean energy.
By diversifying Massachusetts’ energy portfolio, the state will become more energy independent and less reliant on imported natural gas that is susceptible to volatile price spikes, thereby helping to stabilize ratepayer bills in the long term.
