Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S550 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2359 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 550
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Joanne M. Comerford
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to solar and battery decommissioning and recycling.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Joanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester 1 of 4
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2359 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 550
18	18	By Ms. Comerford, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 550) of Joanne M. Comerford
19	19	for legislation relative to a statewide plan for the management of solar panels and batteries.
20	20	Environment and Natural Resources.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
24	24	(2025-2026)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act relative to solar and battery decommissioning and recycling.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 Chapter 21C of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-
30	30	2 Section 31. (a) The department shall develop a comprehensive statewide plan for the
31	31	3management of end-of-life solar photovoltaic panels and energy storage system batteries that
32	32	4shall include both partial refurbishing and complete decommissioning.
33	33	5 (b) The department shall develop the comprehensive statewide plan in consultation with
34	34	6the department of energy resources and the Massachusetts clean energy technology center
35	35	7established in section 2 of chapter 23J, and in collaboration with a stakeholder group with
36	36	8representatives from the solar industry, local governments, the solid waste industry,
37	37	9environmentalists, recyclers and other interested parties. The plan shall be updated every 10
38	38	10years, or more frequently, as determined by the commissioner.
39	39	11 (c) In developing the comprehensive statewide plan the department shall consider all the
40	40	12following: 2 of 4
41	41	13 (i) whether solar photovoltaic panels, energy storage system batteries, their materials or
42	42	14any other equipment used in utility-scale solar projects exhibit any of the characteristics of
43	43	15hazardous waste pursuant to section 2, as well as any other potential environmental hazards
44	44	16posed by solar photovoltaic panels and energy storage system batteries, including fires;
45	45	17 (ii) the preferred methods to responsibly manage end-of-life solar photovoltaic panels,
46	46	18energy storage system batteries, or the constituent materials thereof, or any other equipment used
47	47	19in utility-scale solar projects, including the extent to which such equipment may be: (1) reused, if
48	48	20not damaged or in need of repair, for a similar purpose; (2) refurbished, if not substantially
49	49	21damaged, and reused for a similar purpose; (3) recycled with recovery of materials for similar or
50	50	22other purposes; (4) safely disposed of in construction and demolition or municipal solid waste
51	51	23landfills for material that does not exhibit any of the characteristics of hazardous waste pursuant
52	52	24to section 2; or (5) safely disposed of in accordance with state and federal requirements
53	53	25governing hazardous waste for materials that exhibit any of the characteristics of hazardous
54	54	26waste under state or federal law;
55	55	27 (iii) the volume of solar photovoltaic panels and energy storage system batteries currently
56	56	28in use in the commonwealth and projections, based upon the data on life cycle identified
57	57	29currently on impacts that may be expected to the commonwealth's landfill capacity if landfill
58	58	30disposal is permitted for such equipment at end-of-life;
59	59	31 (iv) whether or not adequate financial assurance requirements are necessary to ensure the
60	60	32safe use and proper decommissioning of solar projects in excess of 1 MW upon cessation of
61	61	33operations; 3 of 4
62	62	34 (v) the infrastructure needed to develop a practical, effective and cost-effective means to
63	63	35collect and transport end-of-life solar photovoltaic panels, energy storage system batteries and
64	64	36other equipment used in utility-scale solar projects for reuse, refurbishment, recycling or
65	65	37disposal;
66	66	38 (vi) an assessment of emerging reuse and recycling technologies and a plan for
67	67	39consideration as they become available;
68	68	40 (vii) the potential development of model agreements between solar photovoltaic panel
69	69	41and energy storage system battery companies and municipalities or private landowners;
70	70	42 (viii) whether or not manufacturer or installer stewardship programs for the recycling of
71	71	43end-of-life solar photovoltaic panels and energy storage system batteries should be established
72	72	44for applications other than utility-scale solar project installations, and if so, fees that should be
73	73	45established for these manufacturers and installers to support the implementation of such
74	74	46requirements; and
75	75	47 (ix) a comparative evaluation of the various net environmental impacts of, and best
76	76	48practices for, enabling decommissioned solar or energy storage sites to be restored to
77	77	49undeveloped land or allowing re-use of such lands and suitable solar array or energy storage
78	78	50infrastructure for the establishment of a new solar and storage facility.
79	79	51 (d) Not later than July 1, 2026, the department shall file a report on the status of the
80	80	52comprehensive statewide plan for the management of end-of-life solar photovoltaic panels and
81	81	53energy storage system batteries, including recommendations for regulations and legislation, as
82	82	54well as cost estimates for recommendations, with the clerks of the house and senate; the joint 4 of 4
83	83	55committee on telecommunications, utilities and energy; the joint committee on environment and
84	84	56natural resources; and the joint committee on agriculture.
85	85	57 (e) The department shall post the plan established in subsection (a) of this act, and any
86	86	58subsequent revisions, on its public website.