BOSTON — The Massachusetts House on Wednesday passed a bill that would raise the cap on solar net metering while lowering reimbursement rates for solar energy.
The bill, H.4173, passed the House by a vote of 152 to 1.
State Rep. Thomas Golden, D-Lowell, chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy and a member of the conference committee, said the bill “finds a balanced solution between the rates that would keep our solar industry thriving and moving forward, while still staying cognizant of the rates our constituents, the ratepayers, pay on a daily basis.”
The lone dissenter was State Rep. Jonathan Hecht, D-Watertown, who warned that the bill would slow the growth of the solar energy industry. “I’m afraid if we do lower net metering rates by that large amount, it means many solar projects simply will not get built,” Hecht said. “I remain deeply concerned that this legislation takes us down the wrong path on solar policy and once in place it will prove difficult to correct.”
The bill has been in negotiations by a House-Senate conference committee for months, and its impending passage would clear the way for lawmakers to deal with the next big energy debate: an omnibus bill that is expected to pave the way for greater use of hydropower and offshore wind.
“I think solar has gotten more than the fair share of the debate so far, but quite frankly, people want us to talk about, they want to hear more about offshore wind, they want to hear more about hydro,” said House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop.
Read the full article at http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/04/massachusetts_house_passes_bil_2.html
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