Massachusetts Clean Energy Standards Initiative (2018)

Massachusetts Clean Energy Standards Initiative
Election date November 6, 2018
Topic Energy
Status Not on the ballot
Type State statute	Origin Citizens
List of Massachusetts measuresMassachusetts Question 1Massachusetts Question 2Massachusetts Question 3Submit

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Standards Initiative was not on the ballot in Massachusetts as an indirect initiated state statute on November 6, 2018.

Amber Houghstow filed two versions of the initiative. Both versions were designed to require non-municipal retail electricity suppliers to provide 16 percent of sales from clean-energy sources by December 31, 2019. The percentage amount of sales from clean-energy sources would have increased by 4 percentage points each year until December 31, 2022, under the initiative. The percentage amount would then have needed to increase 5 percentage points each year until December 31, 2028. In 2029 and each year thereafter, the percentage amount would have needed to increase 6 percentage points each year.

Both versions were designed to require municipal retail electricity suppliers, such as light boards and local electric departments, to provide 7 percent of sales from clean-energy sources by December 31, 2021. The percentage amount of sales from clean-energy sources would have increased by 4 percentage points each year until December 31, 2028. The percentage amount would then have needed to increase 5 percentage points each year until December 31, 2035. In 2036 and each year thereafter, the percentage amount would have needed to increase 6 percentage points each year.

Both versions would have considered the following sources of energy as clean energy:

• Solar photovoltaic or solar thermal;
• Wind
• Ocean thermal, wave, or tidal energy
• Geothermal
• Hydroelectric, provided that facilities meet standards related to river flows, water quality, and fish passage and protection; and
• Advanced biomass and landfill gas conversion with zero or negative fuel lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions using waste from agricultural crops, food, or animals, energy crops, biogas, and liquid biofuel, or algae.

Version 17-27, but not Version 17-26, would also have created a Council on Environmental Justice tasked with making recommendations about reducing co-pollutants, the impact of regulations, and mitigating energy price increases in low-income communities.

Text of measure

Petition summary

The attorney general approved two versions of this initiative for circulation:

Initiative 17-26

This proposed law would create programs to govern and promote the use of electricity generated from clean energy resources. This proposed law would require retail electric suppliers to provide at least 16% of the electricity used in Massachusetts from clean energy generating sources by December 31, 2019. This required percentage of clean energy would increase by 4% each year until 2023, when it would increase by 5% each year until 2029, when it would increase by 6% each year. The proposed law would also require municipal light boards and municipal electric departments to supply at least 7% of electricity used in Massachusetts from clean energy generating sources by December 31, 2021. This percentage of clean energy would increase by 4% each year until 2029, when it would increase by 5% each year until 2036, when it would increase by 6% each year. Electric suppliers would be required to demonstrate their compliance with this proposed law annually, or make a payment to the state Department of Energy Resources to be used for clean energy generating sources. Clean energy generating sources would include certain types of solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and landfill gas power conversion technologies. The department could add to the list of what qualifies as a clean energy generating source.

Initiative 17-27

This proposed law would create programs to govern and promote the use of electricity generated from clean energy resources. This proposed law would require retail electric suppliers to provide at least 16% of the electricity used in Massachusetts from clean energy generating sources by December 31, 2019. This required percentage of clean energy would increase by 4% each year until 2023, when it would increase by 5% each year until 2029, when it would increase by 6% each year. The proposed law would also require municipal light boards and municipal electric departments to supply at least 7% of electricity used in Massachusetts from clean energy generating sources by December 31, 2021. This percentage of clean energy would increase by 4% each year until 2029, when it would increase by 5% each year until 2036, when it would increase by 6% each year. Electric suppliers would be required to demonstrate their compliance with this proposed law annually, or make a payment to the state Department of Energy Resources to be used for clean energy generating sources. Clean energy generating sources would include certain types of solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and landfill gas power conversion technologies. The department could add to the list of what qualifies as a clean energy generating source. The proposed law would also require the department to establish a council to make recommendations on the implementation of the proposed law, including mitigating electric rate increases in low-income communities and communities with average household income equal to or less than 65% of the statewide median, 25% or higher minority residents, or 25% or higher residents with limited English language proficiency; or communities at risk of being negatively affected by environmental contamination and pollution. The council would consist of nine to fifteen members appointed by the secretary of the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The members would represent the communities described above, the Department of Energy Resources, the state Department of Public Health, the state Department of Environmental Protection, and the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

Full text

The full text of the measure is available for Initiative 17-26 and Initiative 17-27.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required to place an indirect initiated state statute on the ballot is equal to 3.5 percent of votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. The first 3 percent is collected in order to refer the indirect initiative to the Massachusetts General Court. If members of the General Court pass and the governor signs the initiative, then the initiative becomes law. If the legislature declines to act on an initiative or the governor vetoes it, sponsors of the initiative need to collect additional signatures equal to 0.5 percent of the votes cast for governor.

To make the 2018 ballot, sponsors of this initiative needed to collect the first round of 64,750 signatures between September 20, 2017, and November 22, 2017. Petitioners did not submit signatures for the initiative to the office of the secretary of the commonwealth by the deadline on December 6, 2017. If signatures had been submitted, and the General Court had rejected or not acted on the initiative by May 2, 2018, then an additional 10,792 signatures would have been required by July 4, 2018.

Petitioners filed two versions of the initiative. On September 6, 2017, Attorney General Maura Healey (D) approved both versions of the initiative for signature gathering. Signatures were not submitted for either version.

See also

2018 measures

• 2018 ballot measures
• Energy on the ballot

Massachusetts

• Massachusetts ballot measures
• Massachusetts ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls