June 15, 2012
Massachusetts

Fitchburg Energy Commission gives support to efficiency bill

By Alana Melanson, Sentinel & Enterprise | www.sentinelandenterprise.com 15 June 2012

FITCHBURG – The recently formed Energy Commission passed a resolution Thursday evening in support of a Massachusetts House of Representatives bill that would enable wider access to state programs promoting energy efficiency and green jobs.

According to Joel Wool, clean-energy organizer for Clean Water Action, one of about 40 environmental, labor and community-building organizations in the Green Justice Coalition, there are barriers that prevent certain demographic groups from being able to take advantage of these programs. For low- to moderate-income families, the upfront costs of investing in green energy are too high, and for immigrants who do not speak English or do not speak it well, there is a language barrier, he said.

The proposed act, called “Expanding Transparency, Equity and Access in the Massachusetts in the Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Programs,” co-sponsored by state Rep. Carl Sciortino, D-Medford, state Rep. Frank Smizik, D-Brookline, and state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, would establish strategies to weatherize homes and businesses, as well as bolster the creation of more green jobs. It would also require utility companies to share more demographic data on who is receiving the benefits of energy-efficiency programs in order to target underserved populations.

In other business, the Energy Commission decided to table until its next meeting further discussion on three petitions submitted by Councilor Jeffrey Bean regarding municipal aggregation, solar and wind power. Bean has asked the commission to look into the possibility of municipal aggregation of power in order to save residents money on electricity, possibly in a regional agreement with Lunenburg.

Bean is also asking for the feasibility of solar panels on city schools and municipal buildings to be determined, as well as the feasibility of installing wind turbines on Rollstone Hill to power the Department of Public Works and other city buildings.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/06/15/fitchburg-energy-commission-gives-support-to-efficiency-bill/