Legislation and Regulations
1) Massachusetts Climate Bill and the implications for solar
2) SMART Regulations that incentivize solar projects
3) Legislation to correct Dover Amendment language
4) Legislation relating to Dual Use/Agrovoltaics- solar on farmland
1) The presentation below was given by Shutesbury citizen Michael DeChiara to explain the likely impact of the Climate Bill that was passed in December 2024
2) January, 2025- DOER's SMART regs
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.
3) Solar and the Dover Amendment
The language in the Dover Amendment related to solar continues to inhibit local control for solar siting.
This bill was refiled by Representative Paul McMurtry: An act regarding municipal zoning powers powers https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/HD4152, that simply strikes the problematic language.
Agrovoltaics or dual use industrial solar on farmland – is a dangerous experiment. No science supports the idea that crops can grow productively under solar panels in Massachusetts. The state’s roll out of “dual use” solar is a disaster and plagued with misrepresentations by “farmers” who often cannot support the claims that they are growing crops under solar panels.
In March 2023, Meg Sheehan of CLWC and Fred Beddall, a farmer from Northampton MA gave this presentation to the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions on issues with solar siting in Massachusetts. This included case studies of “farmers” creating water bodies for “floating solar.”