1) Mandate Bylaws to Restrict Battery Storage Parks from Small Rural Towns and Watersheds. There is growing concern over the increasing presence of battery storage parks in our neighborhoods and watersheds. Not only do these facilities threaten the tranquility of our secluded rural towns, but they also pose considerable risks to our local water resources.

See the petition here:  https://www.change.org/p/mandate-bylaws-to-restrict-battery-storage-parks-from-small-rural-towns-and-watersheds

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The next the hearings for solar and battery siting is Monday May 5, 5:30 - 8:30 PM at the Heritage State Park Visitors Center in Holyoke (221 Appleton Street) please attend the final hearing of the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB), which will decide on siting and permitting processes for all large solar projects. There will be a public demonstration from 4-5:30 ahead of the meeting. Pre-registered commenters will speak first and others will speak afterwards. To pre-register to provide oral comments or ask questions during a the session (in person, on Zoom, or by telephone), notify ERG at meetings@erg.com.  If you cannot attend in person, remote attendees can join by clicking this link. 

Use the following pdf as a guide for making comments.

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2)  On Tuesday, May 6, from 1-5:00 p.m., there is a public hearing for Senator Jo Comerford's and Representative Natalie Blais' bills that will ensure appropriate end-of-life decommissioning for solar infrastructure. The hearing will be held in Hearing Room A-1 and Virtual. See the bill here: S.550/H.904 – An Act relative to solar and battery decommissioning and recycling. Written testimony does not require pre-registration and may be submitted via email to: JointCommittee.Environment@malegislature.gov. Written testimony should be submitted not later than two (2) weeks following the hearing. Same language:

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[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP Code]
[Email Address]
[Date]

 

Chairperson and Members of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St., Room [Room Number]
Boston, MA 02133

Dear Committee Members,

I am writing to express my strong support for Massachusetts bill S.550/H.904, An Act relative to solar and battery decommissioning and recycling, co-sponsored by Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Natalie Blais. This bill addresses the urgent need for a structured plan to manage the decommissioning and recycling of solar panels and battery infrastructure across the state.

As Massachusetts increasingly relies on solar and battery facilities to meet its renewable energy goals and emission reduction requirements, the absence of a comprehensive plan for decommissioning or recycling these systems poses a significant public health and environmental challenge. Solar panels and batteries contain various metals and chemicals, including silicon, cadmium, copper, and lithium, all of which require careful management at the end of their life cycle to prevent human and environmental harm.

Bill S.550/H.904 directs the Department of Environmental Protection, in collaboration with a stakeholder working group, to develop a statewide plan for the reuse, refurbishment, recycling, and proper disposal of solar and battery components. Furthermore, the bill considers the introduction of fees on installers or manufacturer take-back programs to support decommissioning efforts.

As ground-mounted solar arrays reach the end of their 25-30 year lifespan, their proper decommissioning becomes crucial to limit negative environmental impacts. The United States currently lacks a comprehensive federal plan for managing the anticipated millions of tons of solid waste from retired solar arrays. In Massachusetts, this responsibility is often left to municipalities, which can face significant financial and logistical challenges in managing these materials.

The bill's passage will help establish statewide decommissioning regulations and ensure that towns are not left to handle the burden of solid waste alone, especially if developers cannot fulfill their decommissioning responsibilities.

The cost to decommission ground-mounted PV arrays is extremely high, underscoring the importance of holding solar corporations accountable for safe and eco-friendly decommissioning practices. With advancements in technology and processes like those seen in France, there is potential for Massachusetts to become a leader in solar recycling, recovering valuable materials like silicon and silver, and facilitating the production of new panels.

Bill S.550/H.904 not only reflects an economic opportunity but also a commitment to environmental stewardship, supporting both current sustainability goals and long-term human and ecological health.

I urge you to support this important legislation and advance Massachusetts as a pioneering state in responsible solar and battery management. Thank you for considering this critical issue.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

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3) Ask your representative to co-sponsor HD4152.  This bill updates solar zoning language to the following: 

 

Section 3 of Chapter 40A of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking the following language:

"No zoning ordinance or bylaw shall prohibit or unreasonably regulate the installation of solar energy systems or the building of structures that facilitate the collection of solar energy, except where necessary to protect the public health, safety or welfare."

 

WHO TO CONTACT

 

Thank Rep. Paul McMurtry – for filing HD4152 to remove the solar exemption

Paul.McMurtry@mahouse.gov

(617) 722-2080

 

Find your Represenative HERE

 

WHAT TO SAY

 

The Honorable (first name)(last name)

Address

City, State, Zip

 

Dear (Representative x),

 

I am writing to urge you to co-sign the bill HD4152, An Act Regarding Municipal Zoning Powers.

 

This bill would finally remove the extremely outdated "solar exemption" from the Dover Amendment. Specifically, it will rescind Chapter 40A Section 3, paragraph 9, the 40-year-old law that limits municipalities' regulation of solar and lithium-ion batteries. 

 

Until and unless this happens, municipalities will face practical constraints and continue to face legal action when the try to protect our communities with reasonable regulation relating to industrial solar.

 

This is extremely important to our communities for several reasons:

[include one or more of these, or personalize this to your liking]

• Natural Working Lands are needed for a resilient future. The 2022 Massachusetts Clean Energy and  Climate Plan for 2025 and 2030 states “Massachusetts’ natural and working lands provide many benefits  to the residents of the Commonwealth, including clean air and water, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration,  recreational opportunities, food and wood production, and many other functions on which society and life  depend. These benefits, often called ecosystem services, continually serve our society as long as Natural  Working Lands can remain functioning. 

• Mass., U.S., and international climate experts recognize that carbon storage and sequestration is essential as part of the solution to mitigating climate change. Only forests are able to remove carbon  from the atmosphere at a large scale – there is no other mechanism that exists. Currently 0.6 gigatons of  carbon are stored in Mass. forests. The Clean Energy and Climate Plan commits the Commonwealth to  reduce greenhouse gases through enhanced carbon sequestration capacity and adoption of climate  smart management practices.  

• According to Mass Audubon and Clark Univ. since 2012, an estimated 6,000 acres or more of  previously undeveloped land have been converted to large scale, ground-mounted solar arrays.  According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, existing rooftops in Mass. have the potential to support up to 47% of the state’s total electrical demand; these should be the first places to build. 

• In a changing climate, food and water will be threatened; local protection of agricultural and  water is essential for state and community resiliency. Reasonable regulation of large scale,  industrial solar can ensure that safe and adequate drinking water remains available for residents, and  that prime growing lands remain available for food production. 

 

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME and ADDRESS]

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4) Write to urge improvements of DOER's SMART regs (January, 2025)

 

The Department of Energy Resources is in the process of updating Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target regulations, known as SMART regulations. Currently these regulations offer financial incentives that make it profitable to for developers to build industrial-scale solar in inappropriate locations, such as Shutesbury’s forests. To acquaint yourself with the current regulations, visit the state web site.

The new draft regulations are coming out in early 2025 so immediate community feedback is time sensitive. 

So far, the developers/profiteers are the only ones who have made their preferences heard. We need to change that, and DOER is quite receptive to community feedback.

The following is a sample email (customize it as you wish) that will take you less than a minute to cut, paste, personalize and send.

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To: DOER....@mass.gov
Subject line: Comments on the SMART Program

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Dear Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources,

Thank you for your work to revise the SMART regulations for solar installation subsidies and for your commitment to ensuring that these regulations correct unintended harmful consequences of earlier versions of the SMART regs.

I urge you to consider the following requests for important improvements to these regulations. Only with these factors incorporated into the updated version can we be assured that appropriate solar projects will be developed and inappropriate projects will be prevented. I ask that you:

1)  Not exempt all agriculture from the mitigation fee. Prime farmland is different than marginal farmland and should not be exempt.

2)  Eliminate subsidies for all biomap land (both Core Habitat and Critical Natural Landscapes).

3) Ensure that state-assigned environmental monitors prioritize environmental concerns over industry concerns.

4) Include all land that is impacted and disturbed by projects as part for the project, not just the footprint of the solar arrays.

5) Pay mitigation fees at the beginning of the process, not after construction is underway. 

6) Pay mitigation funds to the municipality/community where the development is occurring.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration of this important matter. Our municipalities and our forests are counting on you to uphold the possibility of a true clean energy future.

 Sincerely,
Your name and address

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