Clean Energy Bill Summary - H.4876
This post has been updated as of August 2, 2024.
Thank you for your interest in H. 4876 - An Act Accelerating a Responsible, Innovative, and Equitable Clean Energy Transition. The bill was passed by the House on July 17, 2024.
Having passed the Senate already, the bill now goes back for its further consideration before a final bill is brought to Governor Healey’s desk to be signed into law.
While this bill does not include everything that I hoped it would, this bill represents a very important step in achieving the Commonwealth’s 2050 net-zero climate goals. Some of the main components of the legislation include:
Streamlining Processes: Simplifies permitting for small clean energy projects and establishes consolidated permits for larger facilities to expedite development.
Procurement Targets: Sets new goals for renewable energy and storage to meet increased demand.
Innovation and Technology: Promotes grid-enhanced technologies, advanced metering infrastructure, and fusion energy to support electric vehicle adoption.
Equity and Community Support: Creates an Office of Environmental Justice and Equity establishing support funds for interventions in energy proceedings, and ensuring public engagement in the decision making processes.
Industry Support: Expanding tax credits for the offshore wind industry and incentivizing electric vehicle infrastructure development across the state.
I have attached a more detailed summary for H.4876 below if you are interested in further details on this bill.
The House and Senate will now negotiate a final bill to send to Governor Healey for her signature. I look forward to that bill including the best pieces of each body’s bills.
Update from 8/2/2024:
As you may know, the Formal Legislative Session ended on July 31st, without a final agreement between the House and the Senate being reached on this important piece of legislation. I am incredibly disappointed and surprised by this outcome, but I am hopeful that my House and Senate colleagues will continue to work towards a compromise. As a parent, I fully appreciate the threat that climate change has on society and feel a deep responsibility to make sure that we are doing everything we can to combat it and achieve our 2050 net-zero climate goals. The Speaker of the House and the Senate President have both confirmed that the Conference Committee for this bill, and many others, will continue to work. When the branches reach an agreement, this bill can be taken up during an informal session for the remainder of this year. To learn more about informal sessions, please visit my blog post by clicking here.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards,
Jay
