STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO indicated Friday that the House would address the issue of the solar net metering cap separately from more comprehensive energy legislation that is likely to also speak to wind, hydro and other sources of renewable power.
DeLeo, speaking to the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce on Friday morning, said he still wants to produce an omnibus energy bill “as opposed to breaking it up into various sectors,” but acknowledged that there is a time sensitivity to tackling the solar cap, which has been reached in much of eastern Massachusetts causing some projects, according to advocates, to be stalled.
“I’m well aware obviously that the energy legislation is probably going to be taking a little bit longer than I had expected and looks like it’s probably going to extend into next year,” DeLeo said, according to an audio clip of his remarks to the chamber. “Because of that, I have asked the chairman of the committee on energy to make sure we take out of that bill so we can address it in a much shorter time issues relative to solar energy so we can take care of that more immediately this year and not next.”
An aide to DeLeo said the speaker hopes to pass a solar bill through the House before the break from formal sessions on Nov. 18. The Senate has already passed legislation to lift the cap on solar net metering, which allows businesses and public entities to sell power produced through solar panels back to the grid at retail rates. Gov. Charlie Baker has said he wants the cap to be lifted to allow people to take advantage of federal tax credits for solar set to expire at the end of 2016.
[DeLeo’s remarks followed close on the heels of a letter to lawmakers from six leading business leaders, who argued that raising the so-called net metering cap was unnecessary. Solar industry officials said the letter contained several inaccuracies.]
Electric rates are rising as a result of unintended consequences from state and regional goals to transition to a fossil-fuel-free, clean energy economy.
Plans, policies, and regulations put forth by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
(EOEEA) promise the transition to be cost effective, to increase fuel diversity, and to reduce GHG emissions.
Skyrocketing rates are not cost effective. The recent 37% rate increase is just the beginning.
Policies and regulations are impacting the electricity wholesale markets, administered by ISO-NE, forcing the early, and premature retirement of coal power plants, as intended.
Unintended, is the premature closure of clean energy nuclear power plants. Pilgrim is licensed to operate at least another 20 years, and management is blaming policymakers for the early retirement.
Instead of replacing fossil fuel with wind and solar, regulations are forcing the replacement of clean nuclear power, along with coal, by natural gas.
Overdependence on natural gas is just the opposite of the promised fuel diversity by state policymakers.
Until natural gas, and coal, can be eliminated, GHG reduction is really not possible.
Skyrocketing rates force industry with high paying jobs to leave the state and the region.
Policymakers need to change course, and find a way to keep nuclear from getting dumped along with coal.
Wind and solar advocates will not like this, But, wind and solar are nowhere near ready to replace coal and nuclear, and may never replace natural gas.
Currently Nuclear and Hydro are not included in the Renewable Protocol Standard (RPS)
This needs to change in order to avoid becoming overly dependent on natural gas, which, after all, is a fossil fuel that does little to stop Global Warming.
If Global Warming is inevitable, we need to face it with a very strong economy. The prospect of facing Global Warming, in a dysfunctional economy, is really frightening.