Special to the Record
This past fall, the Governor signed a climate omnibus bill into law, S.2967, which includes key language from Senator Sal DiDomenico’s energy facility siting bill, S.2113, that will protect his constituents from hazardous energy projects and advance the state’s clean energy infrastructure. For years, Senator DiDomenico has worked side by side with environmental advocates and constituents on this legislation to ensure communities like those in his district have more control over which energy projects get developed in their neighborhoods. Thanks to this language, a larger number of energy facility projects must first seek input and review from the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) and the affected communities, the state must create accelerated timelines for siting clean energy projects, and the EFSB will have guidelines that will make it harder to develop new fossil fuel projects in cities that have borne the brunt of large energy projects for many years.
“I am proud to have passed my energy facility siting reforms into law which will help provide communities in my district with more of a voice when developments are proposed in their neighborhoods while also promoting the deployment of clean energy across our state,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico. “These reforms will go a long way towards fighting the climate crisis while also helping people that have faced fossil fuel-related hazards for years protect their community from future polluting energy projects. I want to thank Senate President Spilka, Senator Barrett, and all of my colleagues for working tirelessly to pass this transformational legislation.”
The bill consolidates reviews of clean energy siting and permitting, which will speed the pace of planning, constructing, and bringing clean energy infrastructure online to support clean energy technologies such as solar, wind, and storage to create an electrified future and reduce emissions.
Enhanced community review via new offices is created in the bill, including the Office of Environmental Justice and Equity, the Office of Public Participation at the Energy Facilities Siting Board, and the Division of Siting and Permitting at the Department of Energy Resources. Each office will be charged with engaging with and providing resources to communities and applicants to ensure a thorough, equitable and community-centered review.
In order to help protect residents from bearing the cost of building new infrastructure, when possible, the state will require the Energy Facilities Siting Board to first consider maximizing the efficiency of current infrastructure through the use of innovative technologies such as advanced transmission technologies or grid-enhancing technologies before approving new construction. An online clean energy infrastructure dashboard will also be created to promote transparency and public accountability in real time.