MARBLEHEAD — Lawrence Lessard, founder and director of Achieve Renewable Energy, has been appointed by the Healey-Driscoll administration to the newly established Commission on Fossil Fuel Workforce.
This Commission, created under the 2024 climate law, is tasked with supporting the state’s clean energy transition. Its primary focus is to assess the impact of workers in the fossil fuel industry, explore ways to expand employment and training opportunities in the clean energy sectors, and provide recommendations to the legislature by the end of the year.
“Geothermal energy represents the most reliable and sustainable renewable energy source for year-round heating and cooling,” Lessard said. “Investing in the development of a skilled workforce is key to both securing the Commonwealth’s clean energy future and securing a sustainable future for workers like plumbers, pipefitters, excavators, and more who will lead this transition.”
Lessard, a Marblehead resident who grew up in Lynn, added that “it’s a great honor to be involved” and “contribute to preparing our workforce for the opportunities and transitions ahead.” He will work alongside about 25 other commissioners starting next month.
“Heating and cooling of buildings in Massachusetts is more than 30% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, so it’s a big piece of the pie that we’re trying to address with these technologies,” he said. “Ground source heat pumps, or geothermal, is especially important because the ground source heat pumps are more than twice as efficient as air source heat pumps and have less than half the peak electric demand of air source heat pumps.”
As Massachusetts moves toward its goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the commission will collaborate with the Office of Energy Transformation and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. Their work includes developing a framework to help fossil fuel workers transition to clean-energy roles, facilitating the adoption of a gas-to-electric infrastructure such as geothermal, and providing necessary skills training and workforce development opportunities.
“This transition to electrified heating and cooling of buildings is going to generate and already has been generating, a lot of good-paying jobs for a variety of different trades and types of science or engineering personnel, and the transitioning of people that are currently in the fossil fuel workforce is important,” Lessard said. “In addition to that being important, the types of new employment that are going to be available, I expect, will be very attractive to people.”
Lessard is widely recognized as a leading authority in geothermal energy, GeoExchange and environmental consulting. He has more than 17 years of experience communicating the benefits of ground-source heat pump design and installation, including their technical complexities and economic, environmental, and legal implications.
He is an accredited installer, a licensed construction supervisor, a Certified Geothermal Inspector, and a Certified GeoExchange Director — one of three certified in Massachusetts. Lessard also serves as president of the New England Geothermal Professional Association, an organization dedicated to advancing geothermal industry education throughout New England.
“(This appointment) comes with a certain amount of responsibility to contribute meaningfully. People put faith in me to do this work, and I need to not disappoint. I don’t think I will,” he said. “I think my skills are appropriate for this position and that I’ll have good input.”
