Yesterday, State Senator Ed Kennedy joined with his colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate in passing S.2819, An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward, also known as the Drive Act. This important climate change legislation focusses on three areas: clean energy, transportation, and buildings. The intent of this bill is to keep Massachusetts on track to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
With respect to the three areas of focus, the Drive Act does the following:
- Allocates $100 million to a Clean Energy Investment Fund to support infrastructure development in the clean energy industry.
- Updates the procurement process for new offshore wind energy investment.
- Permits agricultural and horticultural land to be used to site solar panels and eliminates on-site solar energy net metering to promote residential solar.
- Amends Massachusetts law to ensure that the state can consider potential options for the development of safe, clean energy source.
- Allocates $100 million for the state’s MOR-EV electric vehicle incentive program, which provides rebates to individuals who purchase electric vehicles.
- Increases rebate amount by $1,000, to $3,500, for passenger cars and light-duty trucks.
- Convenes an interagency coordinating council to develop and implement a charging infrastructure deployment plan and allocates $50 million to said council to deploy charging infrastructure equitably.
- Requires every passenger bus that is purchased or leased by the MBTA to be a zero-emission vehicle starting in 2028.
- Creates a 10-municipality demonstration project allowing all-electric building construction by local option
- Makes targeted enhancements to the Mass Save program, which provides rebates and incentives for owners and renters related to efficient appliances and other home energy improvement.
- Requires DPU to convene a stakeholder working group to develop regulatory and legislative recommendations for how Massachusetts can best align the Commonwealth’s gas system enhancement program with the state’s 2050 net zero goal.
Since the Drive Act builds off a previous climate bill that was passed through the House, the differences will need to be worked out by both branches before the bill advances to the Governor’s desk.