Baker to propose hydropower sites in Feb.
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A working hydropower facility
Gov. Charlie Baker has been pressing the legislature to embrace his proposal to bring more hydropower into Massachusetts, and the Baker administration in February plans to submit the results of a study into the process for reactivating pre-existing hydroelectric power sites.
The study, conducted by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), is supposed to also examine a review of permitting and approvals to determine how the process can be expedited and streamlined, according to DOER Commissioner Judith Judson.
In a Jan. 5 letter to legislative clerks, Judson noted a 2012 energy law required the study's findings to be filed by Jan. 1, 2016 and said the department is finalizing the study and plans to submit it in February.
The 2012 law, signed by former Gov. Deval Patrick, extended long-term contracts between utilities and renewable energy companies, raised the cap on net metering to grow renewable energy sources, and enabled more municipalities to install solar panels on community landfills. The law also required electric companies to file for rate cases every five years and gas companies to file every 10 years.
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