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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2061 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2301 |
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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 | | Paul W. Mark |
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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 enabling municipal aggregation. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Paul W. MarkBerkshire, Hampden, Franklin and |
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| 16 | 16 | | Hampshire |
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| 17 | 17 | | Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire2/3/2025Natalie M. Blais1st Franklin2/3/2025Joanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester2/3/2025Susannah M. Whipps2nd Franklin3/3/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 18 | 18 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2061 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 19 | 19 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2301 |
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| 20 | 20 | | By Mr. Mark, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2301) of Paul W. Mark, Lindsay N. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Sabadosa, Natalie M. Blais, Joanne M. Comerford and others for legislation relative to investor- |
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| 22 | 22 | | owned utilities and expedited approval processes ensuring timely access to funds for energy |
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| 23 | 23 | | efficiency and conservation programs. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. |
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| 24 | 24 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 28 | 28 | | _______________ |
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| 29 | 29 | | An Act enabling municipal aggregation. |
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| 30 | 30 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 31 | 31 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 32 | 32 | | 1 Section 134 of Chapter 164 the General Laws as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition is |
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| 33 | 33 | | 2hereby amended by adding at the end after subsection (b) the following new subsection:- |
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| 34 | 34 | | 3 (c ) (i) The DPU shall require investor-owned utilities, within three months of the |
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| 35 | 35 | | 4enactment of this section, to create a non-export interconnect permit tariff for customers of a |
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| 36 | 36 | | 5Municipal Aggregation. The investor-owned utility shall not charge a fee for the permit, and |
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| 37 | 37 | | 6shall not require studies or otherwise charge or delay issuance of the permit to a customer of a |
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| 38 | 38 | | 7Municipal Aggregation whose municipal government is seeking to build renewable Distributed |
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| 39 | 39 | | 8Energy Resources for the benefit of itself, its residents and/or business within its jurisdictional |
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| 40 | 40 | | 9boundaries who are enrolled in its Municipal Aggregation program. |
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| 41 | 41 | | 10 (ii)The DPU shall approve or reject, within three months, the application of a |
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| 42 | 42 | | 11municipality it has certified as a Municipal Aggregation program to the Massachusetts clean 2 of 2 |
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| 43 | 43 | | 12energy technology center for monies from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust Fund, |
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| 44 | 44 | | 13established pursuant to Section 9 of Chapter 23J, to receive and expend moneys from the demand |
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| 45 | 45 | | 14side management system benefit charges or line charges in an amount not to exceed that |
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| 46 | 46 | | 15contributed by retail customers within said municipality or group of municipalities under Section |
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| 47 | 47 | | 16134 (b) of Chapter 164. |
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| 48 | 48 | | 17 (iii) Failure to approve or reject after three months shall constitute approval. Rejection |
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| 49 | 49 | | 18shall state the specific provisions of the municipality's application that do not comply with state |
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| 50 | 50 | | 19policy, but shall not place conditions on the use of the funds, or the design of municipal energy |
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| 51 | 51 | | 20efficiency programs, provided that they are spent only on energy efficiency and conservation |
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| 52 | 52 | | 21measures. Furthermore, municipal governments with approved petitions, as a Municipal |
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| 53 | 53 | | 22Aggregator, in order to administer the energy efficiency funds shall be provided a pro rata share |
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| 54 | 54 | | 23of those funds within one year of approval. |
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