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Friday, September 5, 2008
How I See It
Bay State takes seven ‘green’ medals in clean tech legislation Olympics
MHT's Cleantech Forum
Sure Michael Phelps won eight gold medals, a seemingly impossible feat. But the Massachusetts miracle — seven pieces of world-leadership clean energy policy in a single year — is perhaps an even greater Olympian accomplishment.
From membership in the back-of-the-pack club of mediocre energy activity in 2007, Massachusetts has scorched the track to become a global leader of clean energy policy. Here are the commonwealth’s seven green medals:
Green Communities Act:
• Requires the state’s electric and gas utilities to invest in energy efficiency before turning to more costly supplies from new power plants;
• Allows utilities to enter into long-term contracts to purchase power from renewable energy projects and permits utility ownership of solar power generation;
• Requires utilities to derive 15 percent of their energy from renewables by 2020, with an additional 1 percent per year thereafter.
Oceans Act:
• Provides a clear regulatory framework for the development of Massachusetts’ wind, wave, and tidal power generation resources in state waters.
Clean Energy Biofuels Act:
• Provides a first-in-the-nation state gas tax exemption for cellulosic biofuels;
• Mandates biodiesel blending for all on-road diesel and home heating fuel oil sold in the state, starting at 2 percent by volume in 2010 and reaching 5 percent by 2013.
Global Warming Solutions Act:
• Mandates an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from 1990 levels, and by 2020 a reduction between 10 percent and 25 percent.
Green Jobs Act:
• Establishes a Clean Energy Technology Center;
• Provides preliminary funding for a Clean Energy Seed Grant Program to stimulate clean energy research and new venture creation;
• Authorizes exploration of funding for a Clean Energy Fellowship Program to transition executive talent into the clean energy sector;
• Provides preliminary funding for a Green Jobs Initiative to launch job training programs at area schools and training organizations.
Decoupling Order:
• The order by the Department of Public Utilities provides incentive to utilities to make money via energy efficiency measures with their customers rather than by just selling electricity or gas.
Commonwealth Solar:
• Establishes a rebate program to support adoption of solar power.
This Massachusetts miracle of seven green policy measures in a single year came about through the unprecedented collaborative leadership of Gov. Deval Patrick, House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, Senate President Therese Murray, and Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles, together with members of the administration and of the House and Senate.
Hundreds of people and dozens of organizations (our own New England Clean Energy Council among them) contributed. Taken together as a whole, these policies position Massachusetts to seize the mantle of leadership of the world’s trillion-dollar energy revolution while creating countless jobs and hundreds of companies.
Of course, now the hard work really begins — taking advantage of these new policies to accelerate the region’s clean energy economy through the development of a world-class cluster of clean energy companies and the widespread adoption of carbon-reducing products and services.
Let the games begin!
Bruce Anderson is CEO of Wilson TurboPower Inc. and co-chair of the New England Clean Energy Council. Nick d’Arbeloff is the NECEC’s executive director.
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