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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 122 FILED ON: 1/6/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3582 |
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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 | | Bud L. Williams |
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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 to put a moratorium on new gas system expansion. |
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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:Bud L. Williams11th Hampden1/6/2025 1 of 3 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 122 FILED ON: 1/6/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3582 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Williams of Springfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3582) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Bud L. Williams for legislation to establish a moratorium on new gas system expansion. |
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| 20 | 20 | | Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. |
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| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 22 | 22 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 3238 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
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| 28 | 28 | | An Act to put a moratorium on new gas system expansion. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 Section 1 adds a definition of a combustible fuel facility. |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2 SECTION 1: Section 1 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3amended by inserting the following definition: - |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4 “Combustible fuel facilities”, infrastructure involving the processing, storage, |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5transmission, or distribution of combustible fuel sources, including but not limited to oil, natural |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6gas, renewable natural gas, and hydrogen. |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7 Section 2 prohibits EFSB from granting approval of construction to combustible fuel |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8facilities, except that which is required for the safety of the public. 2 of 3 |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9 SECTION 2: Section 69J of said chapter 164, as so appearing, is hereby further amended |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10by inserting, at the end thereof the following: - |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11 No new combustible fuel facility shall be approved, and no expansion of an existing |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12combustible fuel facility shall be approved unless required for the safety of the public, until 2026 |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13at the earliest. |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14 Section 3 prohibits EFSB from granting certificates to petitions for environmental impact |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15and public interest to new combustible fuel facilities, except that which is required for the safety |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16of the public. |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17 SECTION 3: Section 69K of said chapter 164, as so appearing, is hereby amended by |
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| 48 | 48 | | 18inserting, at the end thereof the following: - |
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| 49 | 49 | | 19 No new combustible fuel facility shall be granted a petition for a certificate, and no |
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| 50 | 50 | | 20expansion of an existing combustible fuel facility shall be granted a petition for a certificate |
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| 51 | 51 | | 21unless required for the safety of the public until 2026 at the earliest. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 22 Section 4 removes the DPU’s power to approve a gas company’s expansion anywhere in |
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| 53 | 53 | | 23the Commonwealth beyond the town named in its agreement of association or charter. |
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| 54 | 54 | | 24 SECTION 4: Section 30 of said chapter 164, as so appearing, is amended by striking out, |
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| 55 | 55 | | 25in line 1 the words “a gas or” and inserting in place thereof the following word: -”an”. |
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| 56 | 56 | | 26 Section 5 prohibits gas service expansion into towns without pre-existing gas service. |
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| 57 | 57 | | 27 SECTION 5: Said chapter 164, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting |
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| 58 | 58 | | 28after section 86 the following section:- 3 of 3 |
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| 59 | 59 | | 29 Section 86A. A town where no gas company exists in active operation, or where no |
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| 60 | 60 | | 30person owns or operates the manufacture and sale of gas, no gas company, nor any other person, |
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| 61 | 61 | | 31shall dig up and open the streets, lanes, and highways of such town in order to construct a |
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| 62 | 62 | | 32combustible fuel facility. |
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