Legislature raises net metering cap
Boston — State Senator Benjamin B. Downing (D- Pittsfield) announced that the report of the conference committee assigned to work out the differences between the House and Senate bills on solar energy was accepted and enacted in yesterday’s formal session. The report, H.4173, will now go to the governor to be signed into law.
Net metering allows residential and commercial customers who generate their own electricity from solar power to receive a credit for the unused electricity they feed back to the grid. The bill increases the private and public net metering caps by 3 percent each. It establishes a new net metering credit value of 60 percent of full retail for projects installed after the state reaches its established goal of 1600 megawatts of solar capacity.
The new net metering value will not apply to small residential, commercial/industrial, or government and municipally-owned projects, which will continue to be reimbursed at the retail rate. Additionally all projects installed before the 1600 megawatt goal is reached will continue to receive the retail rate for 25 years from the date of interconnection and continue to receive the benefits of the incentive program under which they were originally built.
The bill authorizes the Department of Energy Resources to create a new solar incentive program to promote the continued growth of the solar industry, with a particular focus on community shared, government and municipally owned, and low income solar projects. The bill also increases the amount of solar energy a distribution company can own or operate from 25 megawatt to 35 megawatt. Distribution companies may also apply to the Department of Public Utilities for permission to charge solar producers a minimum reliability contribution for grid maintenance costs. The bill would require the department to conduct a full adjudicatory hearing and at least one public hearing before approving such a proposal.
–E.E.
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State senate proposes improved access to dental care
Lenox — The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) presented preliminary findings on Wednesday stating that people insured through MassHealth disproportionately go to the emergency department for preventable oral health conditions, and that the Berkshires has the second-highest rate of hospital visits for dental conditions in the state.
The HPC highlighted two solutions to expand access to dental care and address the use of emergency departments for preventable oral health conditions: midlevel dental providers and teledentistry. New legislation, S.2076, introduced by Representative William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D- Lenox) and Senator Harriette Chandler (D- Worcester), would authorize midlevel dental professionals called dental hygiene practitioners to increase access to care for MassHealth patients.
According to the findings, a visit to the emergency room for an oral health condition can range from $400 to $1,500 per visit, which is four to seven times more than a dental office visit. S.2076 was favorably reported out of the Joint Committee on Public Health and is currently in the Joint Committee on Health Care Finance.
–E.E.
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Jeff Morneau announces candidacy for Governor’s Council
East Longmeadow — Jeffrey S. Morneau, president of the Hampden County Bar Association (HCBA), has announced his candidacy for Governor’s Council in the 8th District.
In addition to his role as HCBA president, Morneau currently serves on the Joint Bar Committee and the board of directors for Hampden County Lawyers for Justice, Inc.
Morneau was born and raised in Holyoke and resides in East Longmeadow with his wife, Kate – an elementary school vice principal – and their two children. He earned his undergraduate degree from Providence College, his law degree (cum laude) from Western New England College School of Law, and a Master of Laws degree from Georgetown University.
In 2000 Morneau joined the law firm of Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas in Springfield. In 2011 he co-founded Connor, Morneau & Olin, LLP, a law firm dedicated to representing employees, labor organizations, and consumers. Morneau has also taught employment law, business law, and sports law at Holyoke Community College.
Morneau emphasized that, as president of the Hampden County Bar Association, he made the judicial nominating process more user friendly for Western Massachusetts: “I advocated for Governor’s Council hearings to be held in Western Massachusetts and organized local workshops and informational meetings to educate qualified candidates about the judicial nominating process. As Governor’s Councillor, I intend to accelerate these proactive efforts so that the most qualified candidates from our community will be appointed to serve our community.”
Morneau will be a candidate in the Democratic primary.
–E.E.
