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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2577 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3519 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Jack Patrick Lewis |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to a feasibility report on solar rooftop energy on new buildings. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Jack Patrick Lewis7th Middlesex1/16/2025Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex3/12/2025James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex3/12/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2577 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3519 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Lewis of Framingham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3519) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Jack Patrick Lewis, Rodney M. Elliott and James C. Arena-DeRosa for an investigation and |
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| 20 | 20 | | study by a special commission to study the feasibility of authorizing the installation of rooftop |
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| 21 | 21 | | solar energy systems. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
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| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
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| 27 | 27 | | An Act relative to a feasibility report on solar rooftop energy on new buildings. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1 SECTION 1. (a) There shall be established pursuant to section 2A of chapter 4 of the |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2General Laws, a special legislative commission on solar rooftop energy on new buildings. |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3 (b) The commission shall consist of 12 members: the commissioner of energy resources |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4or a designee, and the following members to be appointed by the secretary of energy and |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5environmental affairs: a representative of the commercial real estate sector; a representative of |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6the residential real estate sector; a representative of the organized labor industry; a representative |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7of the solar energy industry; a representative of an environmental group concerned with energy; |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8a representative of the construction industry; a representative of an electric utility or organization |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9representing electric utilities; a representative of local government; a person with expertise in |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10energy siting; and a person with expertise in solar energy and energy efficiency. 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11 (c) The commission shall conduct a thorough review of the policies and procedures |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12related to solar energy systems, battery storage systems, and building construction pursuant to |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13the base energy code, stretch energy code, and specialized stretch energy code established under |
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| 43 | 43 | | 14section 6 of chapter 25A and sections 93 through 100 of chapter 143. The goals of the special |
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| 44 | 44 | | 15commission shall be to submit a feasibility report on the requirement of solar energy system |
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| 45 | 45 | | 16installations systems on new buildings. The report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the |
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| 46 | 46 | | 17feasibility of allowing the installation of a rooftop solar energy system in new buildings (ii) the |
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| 47 | 47 | | 18feasibility of an energy storage system in conjunction with solar energy systems (iii) how the the |
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| 48 | 48 | | 19department of public utilities can provide services to advance the commonwealth’s goals under |
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| 49 | 49 | | 20chapter 298 of the acts of 2008 and the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits under chapter |
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| 50 | 50 | | 2121N of the General Laws; and (iv) recommendations, including, but not limited to, policy or |
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| 51 | 51 | | 22legislative changes, related to solar energy system installations and battery storage systems on |
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| 52 | 52 | | 23new buildings. |
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| 53 | 53 | | 24 (d) The commission shall submit its report and recommendations, together with drafts of |
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| 54 | 54 | | 25legislation to carry its recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the clerks of the |
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| 55 | 55 | | 26house of representatives and the senate not later than January 1, 2026. |
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