Letter: Legislature Adopts New Solar Siting Act
Photo: American Public Power Association (Unsplash)
The Massachusetts Legislature passed a new solar siting act on November 14, 2024 and should now be awaiting the governor’s signature. It needs to be read carefully and thoroughly for its impact on local authority to regulate siting of renewable energy projects.
Doing a Google search using the legislation title “An Act promoting a clean energy grid, advancing equity and protecting ratepayers” will bring up news articles and press releases commenting on this legislation.
For example:
Legislative leaders’ statements will be found at
Sweeping Climate Bill Passes the Massachusetts Legislature — Senate President Karen E. Spilka
Michael Pill
Michael Pill is a former resident of Amherst, and a current resident of Shutesbury. His law practice is based in Northampton.
This reader finds it ironic that the Sierra Club’s link above fails to mention their own paper titled “Growing Solar, Protecting Nature” ( https://www.massaudubon.org/our-work/publications-resources/growing-solar-protecting-nature ) which plainly states: “Unfortunately, Massachusetts’ current pattern of solar development is causing unnecessary harm to nature. Since 2010, over 5,000 acres of natural and working lands have been destroyed for solar development in Massachusetts, resulting in the emission of over half a million metric tons of CO₂— more than the annual emissions of 100,000 passenger cars. Every acre of forest destroyed is a huge loss for birds and other wildlife, clean air and water, natural beauty, and recreation. But most importantly, cutting forests and developing farmlands to build solar energy doesn’t make sense for the climate: natural ecosystems and farm soils absorb 10% of Massachusetts’ greenhouse gas emissions every year.”
Present schemes to clear-cut hundreds of acres of our critically important forests locally is another example of this thoughtless approach to solar siting. Have we forgotten there is a Climate Crisis facing us, an existential crisis that threatens us and future generations in need of a livable world? Those forests provide some of the few natural carbon capture and storage systems available to us, natural systems that operate 24/7/365 for free. Why on Earth would we destroy them for short-lived solar systems better installed in the built environment? The solar canopies at UMass parking lots are a good example of where solar should be. Think of all the parking lots in and around Amherst without such smart solar? Remember how hot those lots get in July & August? That’s just at present, the future holds much hotter days & weeks for us, for our children and elders who are even more threatened by heat related illness and emergencies.
Western Massachusetts is blessed with these forests and politicians on Beacon Hill and others seem to take them for granted, apparently unaware of or simply disregarding their critical importance. Once these forests are destroyed it will take a hundred years for them to regain the carbon sequestration they provided. We do not have anywhere near that length of time. The Climate Crisis is upon us now.