State lawmakers seek to pass omnibus climate and energy bill in 2024
Image | Courtesy of State House News Service
Rep. Jeff Roy (right) and Sen. Michael Barrett (left), co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, participate in an Oct. 6, 2022 hearing.
After spending the bulk of the year trading barbs and working in parallel silos, the Democrats who lead the Legislature's work on clean energy reform suddenly appear to be moving toward reconciliation with an eye on major action in 2024.
Rep. Jeffrey Roy of Franklin and Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington outlined similar desires to tackle another omnibus climate and clean energy bill next year, a goal that will require them -- and the House and Senate Democrat caucuses that are often stymied by cross-branch disagreements -- to get on the same page.
The duo already appear headed in that direction: Roy and Barrett last week filed nearly identical bills embracing technologies and tools to modernize the electric grid, and they both said they hope the measures will form the foundation for a much larger legislative package.
Both men agreed, too, that as the two-year session lurches into its busier back half, their new overlap is a sign of thawing relations.
"I think that's very fair to say," Roy said. "We are both committed to making this [clean energy] transition work. Granted, we took different paths on how to hear the testimony on the bills, but I think we both remain committed to doing something productive in this session, and I'm happy that this is probably the first glimpse of what collaboration could look like."
"It's always nice to know that you're cooperating with your House colleague," said Barrett. "It should be viewed as an encouraging sign by the small universe of watchers."
The detente comes after a months-long fight during which Roy and Barrett insisted they have no personal animosity toward one another, yet pulled no rhetorical punches as their spat over committee procedure spilled into public view. Barrett at one point contended the use of his name on a committee notice "appears to be fraudulent." Roy soon retorted that Barrett was "holding us hostage" over scheduling public hearings.
There's still a long way to go, and offering pleasant assessments of a working relationship does not guarantee Roy and Barrett -- or the top Democrats to whom they report -- will feel as amiable if and when they are in disagreement on an omnibus bill this summer.
"For me, this was always about policy. It was never about personality. Jeff and I have remained friends throughout. I don't think we're having any trouble working together, provided that there's a green light from our respective leaderships to do so," Barrett said. "I've always been encouraged on the Senate side to think that collaboration was better if we could preserve the principle of parity between the branches."
The House has the upper hand with more members of the joint committees that review bills, but ultimately the final details of any major bills are hashed out by conference committees, where there is parity with three members representing each branch.
The latest alignment came together over legislation that would push utilities to roll out grid enhancing technologies, which consist of software and hardware tools that can boost the electric grid's capacity and efficiency.
Achieving the target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 enshrined in state law will require a massive shift toward clean energy sources, and getting that clean energy into Massachusetts homes and businesses will require significant upgrades to the grid.
"The only way you get that power is through transmission," Roy said.
Grid enhancement technologies, Barrett said, can improve the performance of existing infrastructure at a lower cost than building brand-new systems. He called expanding transmission and distribution capacity "the biggest issue in climate policy today."
The bills (H 4222 / S 2531) would effectively require utility companies to "exhaust their less expensive remedies" such as grid enhancement technologies before they can move toward new construction, according to Barrett.
Barrett said industry representatives, clean energy advocates and other stakeholders in the debate are "pelting Chair Roy and me with language they would like to see included" in a climate bill this term. The duo filed the grid enhancement technologies bills as standalone proposals, he said, so they can undergo the public hearing process and get more attention before forming part of a larger package.
"I don't think you're going to see these bills move by their onesies," Barrett said. "I think they're going to be part of a tossed salad that that has a lot of other ingredients to it."
"I hope that we see it in early 2024," added Roy about potential omnibus legislation. "We're certainly working toward that end."
Roy and Barrett have steered a major package into law in each of the last two sessions, committing Massachusetts to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and laying out a roadmap for getting there.
In addition to grid enhancement technologies, Roy said the forthcoming bill this time around could also take aim at ramping up advanced metering technology, permitting and siting reforms, and new regulations for competitive retail electric supply.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell and her predecessor, now-Gov. Maura Healey, for years have called on lawmakers to crack down on the competitive retail supply industry, warning that it often uses predatory tactics against consumers. Industry leaders argue that banning them from signing up residential customers would stifle consumer choice.
"I'm not in favor of an outright ban on these companies, but I think we have to put better tools in place to take care of the bad actors in this space," Roy said.
The Franklin Democrat said he also wants the Legislature to do more to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure, which he called "woefully inadequate." Vehicles with traditional internal combustion engines typically sit in a dealership lot for about 30 days before being sold, Roy said, compared to more than 100 days for electric vehicles, a trend he attributed to "a lack of consumer confidence."
Roy launched a blog, rangeanxieties.com, where he writes about the trials and tribulations electric vehicle owners face planning out longer-distance trips and the charging they will need to do along the way.
"Things are slowing. People don't have confidence in driving electric vehicles, and we need to restore their confidence," Roy said.
While the two chairs hinted at a desire to find common ground, they still don't have concrete plans to stop holding bifurcated House- and Senate-only committee hearings -- a practice that in recent months has required anyone wishing to provide feedback on bills to attend two separate events to reach all lawmakers.
House members of the Joint Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee will meet Thursday to receive testimony on the grid enhancement technology bills and other late-filed measures, and Barrett said he plans for Senate members to do the same in January.
Roy said he expects he and Barrett will "probably work together in reporting out bills" as the rest of the term unfolds.
"You're right to read two things into this: one, something may well move on climate," said Barrett, "and two, the House and Senate halves of [the committee] are finding it convivial to cooperate."
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