The Oct. 28 article “Solar rule changes test municipalities,” provided a one-sided view on new state permitting regulations for clean energy technologies. I agree that there will be more projects coming to our towns for solar, wind and battery storage, but that is what is required for us to meet our climate mitigation goals. Since we in western Massachusetts are energy consumers and must deal with both rising electricity costs and power interruptions due to climate-charged storms, we will benefit from more clean energy.
The permitting process that is being put in place due to Massachusetts legislation passed in 2024, streamlines an archaic process that involved multiple city and town boards, as well as the state, to get a project approved. And every one of the state’s 351 municipalities has a unique twist on the permitting process. This not only provides a burden on clean energy developers, but on the residents and community organizations that want to advocate for or against any project.
For large industrial or utility scale projects, the Massachusetts’s Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) manages the permitting process, which includes local hearings and an opportunity for opponents and advocates to weigh in. Smaller projects, typically residential and small commercial size, are the purview of the municipality. The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) is also providing proposed bylaws for municipalities to ensure that the latest safety guidelines are being met. All municipalities should be paying attention to and commenting on these bylaws to ensure that they can establish their own restrictions, as well as understand the new process.
An important step for municipalities is to be proactive. Determine what areas of your community are best suited for clean energy projects. We are all energy consumers; and a cleaner, cheaper, and more decentralized power grid is a benefit to all of us.
Jeff Clark
Amherst