Green Communities Act Coalition Applauds Enactment of Massachusetts Energy Bill

Legislation Advances and Expands Nation-leading Clean Energy Programs

CONTACT:
Karen Wood, CLF: (617) 850-1722
Jennifer Donahue, NECEC: (617) 500-9993

BOSTON, MA August 3, 2012 – The Green Communities Act Coalition (“GCA Coalition”) – a diverse group of business, labor, environmental, clean energy, low-income and other stakeholders who advocate for strong clean energy policies in Massachusetts – today praised the state’s legislative leaders and Governor Deval Patrick’s for passage and signing of important new energy legislation into law today:

“With today’s action, Massachusetts takes another great stride in advancing home-grown clean energy and ‘green’ jobs. Importantly, the new policies will allow successful state renewable energy programs to scale up so that their benefits can be distributed more broadly across the Commonwealth, and will create new opportunities for the burgeoning clean energy sector here to grow and thrive. Expanded “net-metering” programs will enable more public and private facilities to install small solar, wind and other clean energy generating sources on-site, and extended long-term renewable energy contracting provisions are expected to deliver substantial economic and environmental benefits. Taken together, these clean energy measures continue Massachusetts’ momentum as a national leader on the clean energy front, and will provide a real boost to our economy.”

The New England Clean Energy Council and Conservation Law Foundation serve as co-coordinators of the GCA Coalition, which has advocated extensively in support of An Act Relative to Competitively Priced Electricity. The coalition’s members include: Alliance for Business Leadership, Blue Wave, Borrego Solar, Cape Wind, Ceres, New England Clean Energy Council, Conservation Law Foundation, Conservation Services Group, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), Environmental League of Massachusetts, Environment Massachusetts, ENE (Environment Northeast), First Wind, FloDesign Wind Turbine Corp., Green Pro Bono, Health Care Without Harm, IBEW Local 103, Low Income Energy Affordability Network, Mass Audubon, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Peregrine Energy Group, Renewable Energy New England (RENEW), and the Saunders Hotel Group, among others.

# # #