Massachusetts Commonwealth Solar Program Initiative (2018)

Massachusetts Commonwealth Solar Program 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 Commonwealth Solar Program 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 would have established a Commonwealth Solar Program. CSP would have been tasked with encouraging the development of solar photovoltaic technology for residential, commercial, governmental, and industrial electric consumers. CSP would have sought to have at least 17.5 percent of the state's energy coming from solar energy by December 31, 2025, and at least 25 percent by December 31, 2030. The Department of Energy Resources (DER) would have been responsible for developing a method for determining the value of distributed solar energy. DER would have been authorized to offer incentives and grants to meet the CSP's goals.

An Environmental Justice Working Group would have been established to advise the CSP on expanding solar access and solar ownership to areas with certain concentrations of low-income, minority, and limited english proficiency residents. At least 25 percent of the value of DER's incentives and grants would have needed to go toward projects in these areas under the initiative.

The measure would also have provided for low-income net metering facilities.

In addition, Version 17-24 was designed to require retail electricity suppliers to increase the amount of their energy sold from renewable sources by 3 percentage points each year until December 31, 2022; 4 percentage points each year until December 32, 2027; and 5 percentage points each year thereafter. Version 17-15 would have required suppliers to increase the amount of their energy sold from renewable sources by 3 percentage points each year after December 31, 2018.

Text of measure

Petition summary

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

Initiative 17-24

This proposed law would create and amend programs to govern and promote the use of electricity generated from renewable energy resources. This proposed law would raise the annual percentage increase of renewable energy use in Massachusetts, which is currently 1% per year, to 3% per year beginning in 2019, 4% per year beginning in 2023, and 5% per year beginning in 2028. It would also require 17.5% of electricity used in Massachusetts to come from solar power by 2025 and 25% by 2030. The state Department of Energy Resources would be authorized to provide monetary incentives and grants to achieve increases in solar power use, provided that at least 25% of these incentives would go to households located in 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 to communities at risk of being negatively affected by environmental contamination and pollution. The proposed law would also require the state Department of Energy Resources to establish a working group to promote solar panel ownership to households in communities as described above. The department would be required to report every four years regarding the long-term value of solar energy in the state. The proposed law would also change the state’s net metering program, which allows a customer or a group of customers to generate their own electricity and to sell excess electricity back to the distribution companies in the form of credits. The proposed law would create a new type of credit for solar power facilities that allocate at least 50% of any credit received to residents of publicly-assisted housing, low-income households, or households in communities as described above. It would also remove existing limits on aggregated net metering, but leave in place a 10 megawatt capacity limit on net metering by a municipality or other governmental entity.

Initiative 17-25

This proposed law would create and amend programs to govern and promote the use of electricity generated from renewable energy resources. This proposed law would raise the annual percentage increase of renewable energy use in Massachusetts, which is currently 1% per year, to 3% per year beginning in 2019. It would also require 17.5% of electricity used in Massachusetts to come from solar power by 2025 and 25% by 2030. The state Department of Energy Resources would be authorized to provide monetary incentives and grants to achieve increases in solar power use, provided that at least 25% of these incentives would go to households located in 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 to communities at risk of being negatively affected by environmental contamination and pollution. The proposed law would also require the state Department of Energy Resources to establish a working group to promote solar panel ownership to households in communities as described above. The department would be required to report every four years regarding the long-term value of solar energy in the state. The proposed law would also change the state’s net metering program, which allows a customer or a group of customers to generate their own electricity and to sell excess electricity back to the distribution companies in the form of credits. The proposed law would create a new type of credit for solar power facilities that allocate at least 50% of any credit received to residents of publicly-assisted housing, low-income households, or households in communities as described above. It would also remove existing limits on aggregated net metering, but leave in place a 10 megawatt capacity limit on net metering by a municipality or other governmental entity.

Full text

The full text of the measure is available for Initiative 17-24 and Initiative 17-25.

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

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