At the October 2016 Green Acton meeting, State Senator Jamie Eldridge spoke on “green” initiatives and bills pending at State House.
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In Aug., Gov. Baker signed the omnibus energy bill, which included 1,600 MW of offshore wind and 1,200MW of hydropower.
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Eldridge’s gas leaks language was included in this law., which requires that Grade 3 (low level) gas leaks be evaluated not only for safety risk, but also, for significant environmental impact, and must be addressed.
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Not in the bill: an increase in the RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard)
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Not in the bill: a ban on ratepayer funding of new natural gas pipelines
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Solar net metering bill (a compromise) passed and was signed
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Cap on commercial solar increased, but not for community solar; helps the well-off with big roofs, but not the less-well-off
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Reimbursement rate was reduced
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Water
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Stopped the government from shifting wastewater monitoring from EPA to DEP. DEP staff has been decimated, so moving to DEP would have been, de facto, a move to less monitoring.
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Current bills in focus
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Zero emission vehicle (ZEV) bill; will encourage by allowing ZEVs to drive in HOV lanes, and enjoy other advantages
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Plastic bag ban didn’t pass, but will be back. Cities and towns are passing such bans, and the Massachusetts Grocers Association may soon prefer a statewide ban to a patchwork of bans across the state.
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Gas leaks: whenever the roads are ripped up for any reason, the utilities would have to go in and repair/replace old gas lines.
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Pipeline issue: prohibiting companies from charging ratepayers for costs of new pipelines (Spectra pipeline still alive)
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Drought response, including measures for response to future droughts
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