Acadia Center and Rewiring America Co-author Group Coalition Comments in Support of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities Draft Gas Line Extension Policy

Acadia Center co-authored with Rewiring America coalition comments in response to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) draft policy for line extensions as part of the Docket 20-80. The comments are generally supportive of the draft policy and articulate how the draft policy is necessary to align state investments with climate targets and protect consumers from often unnecessary and increasingly risky investments in the gas system. Recommendations specified in the comments include making it explicit that DPU will only consider exceptions to the line exception policy on a case-by-case basis (opposed to exceptions for broad customer classes) and ensure that all three exception criteria are met, opposed to one of the three criteria outlined in the policy. The following organizations signed onto the coalition comments: Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Gas Transition Allies, Brookline Mothers Out Front, HEETlabs, Green Energy Consumers Alliance, ZeroCarbonMA, Vote Solar, Pipe Line Awareness Network for the Northeast, Inc, and the Environmental League Of Massachusetts.