Massachusetts Legislature Passes Bill to Advance Electric Vehicles

BOSTON – Last night, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill to support electric vehicles (EVs), helping to advance the Commonwealth’s goals of reducing climate pollution and promoting clean energy.

Daniel Sosland, President of Acadia Center, said, “Vehicle electrification and moving away from transportation that runs on dirty oil is crucial to attaining an energy future that offers consumers cleaner choices. Acadia Center is very pleased that the Massachusetts legislature has moved this bill forward and would like to thank leadership in the House and Senate as well as the original bill sponsors who have worked so hard to get this done.”

The bill contains a number of measures to help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, including:

• Permission for cities and towns to enforce EV-only parking
• Requirements for public access to public charging stations
• Amendments to building codes to facilitate EV charging
• Codification of an existing Department of Public Utilities order regarding utility proposals to invest in EV charging infrastructure
• Studies of key long-term issues: (1) electrification of the state fleet and (2) measures to achieve sustainable transportation funding

Peter Shattuck, Acadia Center’s Massachusetts Director, said “This bill will complement other steps that the Commonwealth has taken over the last few years to promote vehicle electrification, including the recent commitment by the Baker Administration of $14 million to the successful “MOR-EV” consumer rebate program. These steps are crucial for reducing GHG emissions from the transportation sector and build on steps to clean up the electric power sector and broader Massachusetts economy.”

Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney at Acadia Center, said: “The provision in this bill to allow utility investment in charging station infrastructure primarily codifies language from an existing Department of Public Utilities order. The specifics of utility proposals will be important to determine whether the three statutory criteria for approval are met. The proposals must be in the public interest, meet a need regarding the advancement of EVs, and must not hinder the development of a competitive EV charging market. To implement these criteria, allocation of costs to ratepayers must be justified by significant benefits, customer choice must be preserved, and the proper role of the utility must be carefully considered. These important issues are currently being debated across the country, and Acadia Center looks forward to participating in proceedings examining utility proposals in the near future.”

Contacts:
Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney, 617-742-0054 x104, mlebel@acadiacenter.org
Krysia Wazny, Communications Associate, 617-742-0054 x107, kwazny@acadiacenter.org