1 of 1
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 131 FILED ON: 1/10/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3150
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Simon Cataldo
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act advancing clean energy, equity, and innovation within municipal utilities.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Simon Cataldo14th Middlesex1/10/2023Jack Patrick Lewis7th Middlesex2/7/2023Margaret R. Scarsdale1st Middlesex2/13/2023Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex2/13/2023Danillo A. Sena37th Middlesex2/21/2023Samantha Montaño15th Suffolk2/23/2023James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex2/28/2023 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 131 FILED ON: 1/10/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3150
By Representative Cataldo of Concord, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3150) of
Simon Cataldo and others relative to clean energy, equity, and innovation within municipal
utilities. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________
An Act advancing clean energy, equity, and innovation within municipal utilities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 23J of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the
2following section:-
3 Section 16. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a
4separate fund known as the Municipal Utility Equity and Innovation Fund to be administered by
5the center.
6 (b) The center shall make expenditures from the fund for the purpose of providing grants
7to support municipal utility projects that advance the deployment of clean energy, energy
8storage, building decarbonization, distribution capacity, integrated resource planning, the
9retirement of fossil fuel facilities or peak energy reduction.
10 (c) When deciding which projects will receive grants through this fund, the center shall
11prioritize projects that explicitly and directly benefit environmental justice populations, as 2 of 3
12defined in section 62 of chapter 30, low or moderate income housing, as defined in section 20 of
13chapter 40B or elderly housing, as defined in section 1 of chapter 19D.
14 (d) The center shall prioritize projects that advance new and innovative technologies,
15strategies and methods to equitably reduce emissions for grants through this fund.
16 (e) The center shall include the fund's activity in the annual report required by section 5.
17The center shall also annually, not later than October 1 and at least 30 days prior to the
18expenditure of any funds, submit a plan detailing the planned uses of funds in the upcoming
19calendar year with the joint committee on telecommunications, utilities and energy and the house
20and senate committees on ways and means. The center shall hold at least 1 public hearing to
21solicit stakeholder feedback in the development of this plan
22 (f) Fifty million dollars for the Municipal Utility Equity and Innovation Fund shall be
23fully incorporated in the general appropriations act not later than fiscal year 2024, subject to
24 appropriation. Any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not
25revert to the General Fund.
26 SECTION 2. Section 11F of chapter 25A of the General Laws, as amended by chapter 8
27of the acts of 2021 and chapter 179 of the acts of 2022, is hereby further amended by striking out
28subsection (i) and inserting in place thereof the following 2 subsections:-
29 (i) A municipal lighting plant shall be exempt from the obligations under this section
30until December 31, 2029, so long as and insofar as it is exempt from the requirements to allow
31competitive choice of generation supply under section 47A of chapter 164. Beginning January 1,
322030, a municipal lighting plant shall meet the obligations set forth in this section. 3 of 3
33 (j) The center shall allocate $7,500,000 from the Municipal Utility Equity and Innovation
34Fund, subject to appropriation, to directly support qualifying municipal utilities in meeting the
35obligations set forth in this section by 2030. A qualifying municipal utility shall be a municipal
36utility that either: (i) has an annual load that is less than 20,000 megawatt hours; or (ii) serves
37municipalities with a median household income that is below the state’s average median
38household income.
39 SECTION 3. Section 17 of said chapter 25A, as amended by chapter 179 of the acts of
402022, is hereby further amended by striking out subsection (d) and inserting in place thereof the
41following subsection:-
42 (d) This section shall not apply to municipal lighting plants until the year 2030.
43Beginning January 1, 2030, a municipal lighting plant shall meet the obligations set forth in this
44section.