DiMasi: State Needs More Say In Power Plant Location
State House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi said he may file a bill to give the state greater power to site new energy plants.
DiMasi floated the idea in Worcester before an audience of several hundred during this morning's 2008 Massachusetts Energy Summit at the DCU Center. He said additional energy sources may be necessary to break the state's dependence on foreign oil. The summit was produced by the Worcester Business Journal in cooperation with National Grid.
The "not in my backyard mentality" is one impediment to changing the energy situation in Massachusetts, DiMasi said. He pointed to the Cape Wind wind turbine project off Cape Cod, which he said has been in the process of getting approval for 10 years now.
Siting, transmission and storage of energy are important issues that must continue to be worked on, DiMasi said. "This will all lead to a greener economy here in Massachusetts," he said.
The most recent legislative session saw important laws passed under his leadership, he said, including the Green Communities Act, which makes energy efficiency programs compete in the market with traditional energy supplies. It also promotes renewable energy through longer utility contracts and by helping communities that adopt energy efficiency methods and that use renewable energy.
The Green Jobs Act was also passed during the session and will spend $50 million on creating new jobs and revenue in the state's clean energy industry. There is already a local benefit from that bill with $2 million for the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
The Clean Energy Biofuels Act was also passed, which requires that all home heating oil and diesel fuel sold in the state contain at least 5 percent biofuel by 2013.
"This is just the beginning. We will continue to have an intense focus on lessening our dependence on foreign oil and the effect that has on our economy," DiMasi said.
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