SALEM – A Salem senator supported the Drive Act, which was passed by the state Senate on Thursday.
The bill addresses climate change in three areas — clean energy, transportation, and buildings — and aims to achieve the commonwealth’s ambitious goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
It also allocates $100 million to a Clean Energy Investment Fund to support infrastructure development in the clean-energy industry in the commonwealth.
“I am proud to join my Massachusetts Senate colleagues in passing the Drive Act, which builds on our commonwealth’s commitment to achieving our net-zero goals by 2050,” said state Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem).
Lovely also said that this comprehensive bill drove Massachusetts’s climate policy forward by taking additional steps to reduce emissions, promote clean energy, and support the workforce.
“We continue to lead on taking action to combat climate change,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka.
Spilka said the Drive Act takes important steps to expand clean energy, encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, reduce emissions from the building sector, and foster a future workforce.
The bill provides more flexibility to offshore-wind developers by allowing for prices for these projects to increase to up to 10 percent of the previous procurement. It also requires that any increase in price must be the result of economic-development investments for low- and middle-income populations and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
“It will fortify the North Shore’s burgeoning offshore-wind industry, to support our communities and residents for generations to come,” said Lovely.
To support solar power, the bill permits agricultural and horticultural land to be used to site solar panels, and it also eliminates the so-called “donut hole” for on-site solar energy net metering to promote residential solar.
The legislation also removes biomass from the list of energy-generating sources that are allowed to receive state incentives for clean energy due to their harmful health and environmental impacts.
As transportation remains the largest source of fuel emissions in Massachusetts, the bill takes steps to encourage the use of electric vehicles. For example, it allocates $100 million for the state’s Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV) electric-vehicle incentive program.
For passenger cars and light-duty trucks, the rebate amount will now increase by $1,000, to $3,500. The bill also makes used vehicles eligible for rebates, and electric-vehicle purchasers who trade in their emission-producing vehicles will be eligible for an additional incentive of $1,000. The rebates provided through the MOR-EV program will now be administered at the point of sale, rather than through a 90-day-long rebate.
The legislation pays special attention to expanding access to electric-vehicle charging stations, and it allocates $50 million to deploy charging infrastructure in an equitable and comprehensive manner.
It also takes steps to address emissions that come from Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) buses. Starting in 2028, every passenger bus that is purchased or leased by the MBTA will be a zero-emission vehicle. By the end of 2040, the MBTA would be required to operate exclusively zero-emission vehicles.
To tackle emissions from the building sector, the bill creates a 10-municipality demonstration project allowing all-electric building construction by local option. Participating municipalities must receive local approval before applying.
The Drive Act also makes targeted enhancements to the Mass Save program, which provides rebates and incentives for owners and renters related to efficient appliances and other home-energy improvements.
This bill requires the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to conduct an adjudicatory proceeding prior to approving any company-specific plan under the DPU’s future of heat proceedings. It also requires DPU to convene a stakeholder working group to develop recommendations for how Massachusetts can align the commonwealth’s gas-system enhancement program with the state’s 2050 net-zero goal.
Lovely thanked Spilka, state Sens. Michael Barrett and Cindy Creem, and Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues for their tireless work and leadership.
“To achieve a cleaner, greener tomorrow, we must take action to change the climate trajectory and environmental impact of our commonwealth today,” said Lovely.