Leaders of the Alliance for Clean Energy Solutions, a coalition of business groups, clean energy companies, environmental organizations, health and consumer representatives dedicated to advancing clean energy for Massachusetts, issued the following statements regarding the comprehensive energy bill (S2372) passed this week by the Massachusetts Senate.

“Massachusetts needs clean energy resources to address the threat of climate change and reduce our dangerous overreliance on natural gas,” said Peter Shattuck, Massachusetts Director of Acadia Center and co-leader of ACES. “This bill supports the scale and scope of clean energy options to responsibly meet our energy needs and build on Massachusetts’ climate leadership and capacity to develop innovative technologies.”

“The Massachusetts Senate has passed legislation that will enable the Commonwealth to take advantage of the benefits of clean energy and innovation by spurring the private sector investment needed to capture the cost reduction and economic development benefits of renewable energy sources in addition to their environmental benefits” said NECEC Executive Vice President Janet Gail Besser, co-leader of ACES. “We commend the Senate for including Class 1 eligible renewable energy resources, offshore wind, energy storage, fuel cells, and other key policies that will make Massachusetts’ energy more cost-competitive, reliable, and clean for future generations.”

"Clean energy, innovation, and economic growth are all intertwined here in Massachusetts, and the Senate’s energy bill allows the benefits we see from this connectivity to continue to expand,” said Jesse Mermell, President of The Alliance for Business Leadership. “By investing in clean energy - and the innovation around it - we reduce our impact on climate change, lower energy costs, and create jobs. The future of Massachusetts will be brighter because of this bill's commitment to clean energy.”

ACES supports policies to bring diverse clean energy resources to Massachusetts. Alliance members share the view that such policies are critical for the Commonwealth to achieve its climate commitments and will also protect consumers and the environment. ACES promotes the following priorities for large-scale energy procurement:

• Large-Scale Clean Energy Procurements – authorize procurement of Renewable Portfolio (RPS)-eligible resources (such as onshore wind) and hydroelectricity in order to facilitate cost-effective achievement of the RPS, replace retiring generation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify our electricity supply.

• Pairing of Wind and Hydroelectricity – require bundled procurements of RPS-eligible resources (such as onshore wind) and hydropower in order to drive in-region development and maximize efficient use of transmission for clean energy.

• Meaningful Offshore Wind Development – authorize phased procurement of offshore wind of sufficient scale over 15 years in order to tap Massachusetts’ world-class offshore wind resource and develop a sustainable industry in Massachusetts.

• Energy Procurement Standards and Criteria – competitively procure cost-effective and environmentally preferable clean energy resources through a procurement process that protects against self dealing, and ensures reliability, price stability, affordability for all income levels, and ensures that environmental impacts of electricity generation and transmission are appropriately avoided, minimized, and mitigated.

ACES additionally supports complimentary energy policies including expansion of the renewable energy portfolio standard, incentives for energy storage, establishment of climate requirements for 2030 and 2040, and clean energy financing with appropriate consumer protections.

Media Contacts:

Kate Plourd Johnson

NECEC

kjohnson@necec.org

Phone: 617-500-9933

Krysia Wazny

Acadia Center

kwazny@acadiacenter.org

Phone: 617-742-0054 x107

About ACES

The Alliance for Clean Energy Solutions (ACES) is a “coalition of coalitions” comprised of business groups, clean energy companies, environmental organizations, labor, health, and consumer advocates dedicated to advancing clean energy for Massachusetts. ACES is committed to ensuring that those charged with shaping Massachusetts’ energy policies have the most rigorous, current data on the benefits and costs of clean energy. Our goal is to ensure that the Commonwealth can attain a cost-effective, reliable and diverse energy supply to power its businesses, communities and households, which will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, create a stable and prosperous business environment and meet the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas emissions requirements. For more information: acesma.org

Members Include: Acadia Center, Alliance for Business Leadership, Climate Action Business Association, Clean Water Action, E4TheFuture, Energy Storage Association, Environment Massachusetts, Environmental Entrepreneurs, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Health Care Without Harm, Mass Audubon, Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, Northeast Clean Energy Council, Northeast Energy Efficiency Council, RENEW Northeast, Solar Energy Business Association of New England, Union of Concerned Scientists, US Green Building Council Massachusetts Chapter, Vote Solar.