H 5323

HOUSE . . . . . . . . No. 5323
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  ________________________________________
  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, April 6, 2026.
     The committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, to whom
were referred the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2346) of Erika
Uyterhoeven relative to municipalities owning and operating broadband
high speed internet infrastructure and services; the petition (accompanied
by bill, House, No. 3444) of James C. Arena-DeRosa relative to bids or
proposals for the installation, repair, or maintenance of security systems;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3445) of Jennifer Balinsky
Armini for legislation to promote solar panel installations on school
property; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3446) of Jennifer
Balinsky Armini for legislation to further regulate the opening of streets or
the use of public ways by gas companies; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 3447) of Brian M. Ashe and Francisco E. Paulino for
legislation to include nip bottles and certain other containers in the bottle
law; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3448) of Christine P.
Barber, Joan Meschino and others relative to setting deadlines to electrify
school buses and public fleets and establishing programs to encourage
private fleet electrification; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3449) of Christine P. Barber and others for legislation to regulate
municipal acceptance into the demonstration project; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3450) of John Barrett, III relative to
municipal access to utility poles located in municipal rights-of-way; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3451) of Natalie M. Blais and
Mindy Domb that the Department of Energy Resources establish the
community access to electric bicycles grant initiative; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3452) of Natalie M. Blais and others
relative to protecting consumers from unreasonable utility rate increases;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3453) of Nicholas A.
Boldyga for legislation to further define miniature beverage containers
under the "bottle bill", so-called; the petition (accompanied by bill, House,
No. 3454) of Antonio F. D. Cabral relative to offshore wind energy
generation; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3455) of Daniel
Cahill relative to permitting of electric vehicle charging stations; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3456) of Daniel Cahill for
legislation further regulating participation in group purchasing of energy;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3457) of Michael S.
Chaisson, Peter J. Durant and Hannah Kane relative to municipal light
plants; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3458) of Tackey
Chan relative to the use of double utility poles of distribution or telephone
companies; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3461) of Tackey
Chan for legislation to increase fines levied against utility companies for
failing to meet service quality standards; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 3462) of Michelle L. Ciccolo relative to authorizing
municipalities to relocate certain utility poles, wires or attachments; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3463) of Michelle L. Ciccolo
for legislation to restore the clean environmental fund using revenue from
unclaimed bottle deposits; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3464) of Michelle L. Ciccolo, Joanne M. Comerford and Lindsay N.
Sabadosa for legislation to update the bottle bill, so-called; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3466) of Mike Connolly for legislation
to establish a task force (including members of the General Court) to study
and make actionable recommendations regarding public ownership of
public utilities; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3467) of
Mike Connolly relative to establishing solar neighborhoods; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3468) of Rob Consalvo and Steven
George Xiarhos relative to the listing on utility bill of discounts available
to seniors, veterans or persons with disabilities; the petition (accompanied
by bill, House, No. 3470) of Mark J. Cusack relative to transportation
network driver data privacy; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3471) of Michael S. Day that retailers of home heating oil provide notices
to customers of the availability of liability insurance coverage for certain
claims arising out of releases of oil into the environment; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3472) of Michael S. Day that the Energy
Facilities Siting Board consider requests of municipalities for
reimbursement of application expenses; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 3473) of Michael S. Day relative to the Energy Facilities
Siting Board; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3474) of
Marjorie C. Decker and others for legislation to expand the bottle bill, so-
called; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3477) of Marjorie C.
Decker, James B. Eldridge and Natalie M. Higgins relative to lighting and
appliance efficiency standards; the petition (accompanied by bill, House,
No. 3479) of Kip A. Diggs relative to the onshore siting of infrastructure
associated with offshore wind projects; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 3480) of Mindy Domb relative to transferring the
Massachusetts Community Climate Bank to the Massachusetts Clean
Energy Technology Center; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3482) of Michelle M. DuBois relative to the locating of generation
facilities within one mile of certain public areas and areas of critical
environmental concern; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3483) of Kirstin Beatty for legislation to establish the radiation regulatory
agency; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3484) of Kirstin
Beatty for legislation to limit non-ionizing radiation from technology in
anchor institutions and for an investigation by a special commission
(including members of the General Court) relative to changes that foster
hard-wired communication and reduced exposure to electromagnetic
radiation; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3486) of
Kimberly N. Ferguson and others relative to municipal light plant
emergency mutual aid; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3488) of Christopher Richard Flanagan relative to the cost burdens of
certain incentives for statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3489) of Paul K. Frost for
legislation to authorize cities and towns to borrow from the
Commonwealth without interest for green energy programs for such
municipalities; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3490) of
Paul K. Frost and Joseph D. McKenna relative to electric vehicle charging
and fueling; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3491) of Paul
K. Frost and Joseph D. McKenna relative to electric vehicles and electric
vehicle charging stations; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3492) of William C. Galvin for legislation to provide access to fuel for
private and emergency vehicles during emergencies; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3495) of Sean Garballey and Sean Reid
relative to the heat-related impacts of climate change and for an
investigation by a task force (including members of the General Court)
relative to extreme heat task; the petition (accompanied by bill, House,
No. 3496) of Carmine Lawrence Gentile and others relative to ensuring
solar energy access; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3497)
of Jessica Ann Giannino relative to a renewable portfolio standard review;
the joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3498) of Homar
Gómez, Adam Gomez and others for legislation to expand the low income
home energy assistance program; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 3500) of Richard M. Haggerty relative to local ordinances to
eliminate double utility poles; the petition (accompanied by bill, House,
No. 3501) of Richard M. Haggerty and others relative to offshore wind
and for an investigation by a special commission (including members of
the General Court) relative to the development of the supply chain
supporting the deployment of offshore wind and the economic benefits;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3503) of James K. Hawkins
relative to the inclusion of miniature beverage containers in the bottle law,
so-called; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3504) of Natalie
M. Higgins and Michael P. Kushmerek relative to establishing the
gateway cities renewable, efficient, and electrified neighborhoods
initiative; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3505) of Russell
E. Holmes for legislation to require notification to owners of real estate in
areas scheduled for certain public utility construction; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3506) of Tara T. Hong and others for
legislation to establish a low-income senior internet subsidy program to
provide financial assistance to eligible seniors for internet services; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3507) of Steven S. Howitt
relative to towing rates for commercially registered vehicle not requiring a
CDL license; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3508) of
Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others for legislation to establish a special
commission (including members of the General Court) to study gasoline-
focused sales-below-cost; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3510) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others relative to internet service
provider data; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3512) of
Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others for an investigation and study by a
special legislative commission (including members of the General Court)
to study small modular reactors; the petition (accompanied by bill, House,
No. 3514) of Sally P. Kerans for legislation to further regulate the
Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company board of directors;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3515) of Michael P.
Kushmerek and Margaret R. Scarsdale relative to municipal lighting plants
of purchasing municipalities or cooperatives; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 3518) of David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf and Colleen M.
Garry for legislation relative to the protection of propane gas ratepayers;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3519) of Jack Patrick Lewis,
Rodney M. Elliott and James C. Arena-DeRosa for an investigation and
study by a special commission to study the feasibility of authorizing the
installation of rooftop solar energy systems; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 3523) of Jay D. Livingstone relative to the electrification
of new and substantially remodeled or rehabilitated buildings; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3525) of Joseph D. McKenna and
Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida for legislation to further define miniature
beverage containers under the "bottle bill", so-called; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3526) of Paul McMurtry relative to
large-scale solar energy installations on agricultural or recreational land of
the Commonwealth; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3527)
of Rita A. Mendes relative to broadband service for low-income
consumers; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3528) of Joan
Meschino relative to advanced natural gas leak repair technology and
renewable thermal energy infrastructure; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 3529) of Joan Meschino and others relative to building
energy and decarbonization; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3530) of Frank A. Moran, Marjorie C. Decker and others relative to the
use of contractors for repairing or performing work on public utility
infrastructure; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3531) of
Frank A. Moran relative to natural gas workforce safety; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3532) of Frank A. Moran and Rodney
M. Elliott relative to renewable energy production technologies; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3533) of Frank A. Moran for
legislation to provide for field safety in gas infrastructure by requiring that
the Department of Public Utilities promulgate regulations establishing
requirements for the maintenance, timely updating, accuracy, and security
of gas LDC maps and records; the petition (accompanied by bill, House,
No. 3535) of David K. Muradian, Jr., Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and Joseph D.
McKenna relative to the sale of zero-emission vehicles; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3536) of David K. Muradian, Jr. relative
to directory assistance charges for handicapped or elderly persons; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3537) of James M. Murphy
relative to ensuring ratepayer and community representation in utility
company regulatory proceedings; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 3539) of Steven Owens, Samantha Montaño and others
relative to clean thermal energy; the petition (accompanied by bill, House,
No. 3540) of Steven Owens and others relative to advancing clean energy
equity; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3541) of Steven
Owens relative to carbon dioxide equivalents and factors that impact
statewide greenhouse gas emissions; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 3544) of Alice Hanlon Peisch relative to energy efficiency
funds generated by municipal light plants; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 3547) of Adrianne Pusateri Ramos, Carmine Lawrence
Gentile and others relative to preventing gas expansion and the creation of
a just transition office for employment and training opportunities for
certain displaced workers; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3550) of Estela A. Reyes relative to a cap on gas delivery fees by gas
companies; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3553) of David
Allen Robertson relative to the reform of class 2 renewable energy
generating resources; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3554)
of David M. Rogers, Christine P. Barber and Manny Cruz relative to
achieving a green future with infrastructure and workforce investments;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3557) of Jeffrey N. Roy
relative to reporting on double poles; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 3558) of Jeffrey N. Roy relative to electric vehicle charging
stations; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3559) of Lindsay
N. Sabadosa, Sean Garballey and others for legislation to encourage solar
development on buildings and disturbed land; the petition (accompanied
by bill, House, No. 3560) of Lindsay N. Sabadosa for legislation to allow
all green communities grants to be used for solar panels on municipal
rooftops and land; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3561) of
Lindsay N. Sabadosa for legislation to establish group purchasing
programs for solar, heat pumps and insulation; the petition (accompanied
by bill, House, No. 3562) of Lindsay N. Sabadosa that the Secretary of
Energy and Environmental Affairs perform a study on the feasibility of
installing solar panels on municipal and state buildings and land; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3563) of Lindsay N. Sabadosa
for legislation to establish a carbon fee and cash-back program; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3564) of Amy Mah Sangiolo
relative to natural gas infrastructure replacement projects; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3565) of Amy Mah Sangiolo, Michael
D. Brady and Patrick Joseph Kearney relative to Mass Save assessments;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3567) of Aaron L. Saunders
relative to energy generation payments; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 3568) of Aaron L. Saunders relative to prohibiting public
utility and ratepayer funding of clearcutting forests and woodlands; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3569) of Aaron L. Saunders
relative to carbon emission reduction and advanced nuclear energy
generation; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3570) of Aaron
L. Saunders relative to vehicle emissions standards for public and utility
infrastructures; the petition (accompanied by resolve, House, No. 3571) of
Margaret R. Scarsdale and Manny Cruz for legislation to establish a
special commission (including members of the General Court) to consider
the inclusion of nuclear energy in Massachusetts' future energy planning;
the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3572) of Michael J. Soter
and others relative to the sale of zero-emission vehicles; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3573) of Kenneth P. Sweezey for
legislation to include nip bottles and certain other containers in the bottle
law; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3574) of Justin Thurber
for legislation to further regulate the carbon dioxide cap and trade
program; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3575) of Jeffrey
Rosario Turco relative to Mass Save program rebates; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3577) of Andres X. Vargas, Manny
Cruz and others for legislation to establish a zero carbon renovation fund
to provide for the costs associated with energy efficiency renovations of
certain existing buildings; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3578) of Marcus S. Vaughn relative to the definition of beverage under the
"bottle bill", so-called; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3579) of Marcus S. Vaughn relative to providing for a study of the
potential environmental impact of the installation and operation of
offshore wind turbines; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
3580) of Tommy Vitolo and Kevin G. Honan relative to non-emitting
thermal energy; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3581) of
Tommy Vitolo relative to electrical load aggregation programs; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3582) of Bud L. Williams for
legislation to establish a moratorium on new gas system expansion; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3583) of Bud L. Williams
relative to establishing a moratorium on new gas system expansion; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3584) of Bud L. Williams for
legislation to further regulate gas facilities; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 3585) of Steven George Xiarhos and Steven J. Ouellette
for legislation to establish a special commission to study the potential risks
to cities and towns from the onshore electrical infrastructure supporting
offshore wind energy generation projects; the petition (accompanied by
bill, House, No. 3951) of Mike Connolly relative to municipal fossil fuel
free building construction and renovation demonstration projects; the
petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3972) of Mindy Domb, Joanne
M. Comerford and Natalie M. Blais relative to utility shutoff protections
during periods of extreme heat; the petition (accompanied by bill, House,
No. 3974) of Hadley Luddy relative to cellular coverage; the petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 4036) of Tommy Vitolo (by vote of the
town) that the town of Brookline be authorized to adopt green zoning by-
laws and regulations in said town; the petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 4052) of Tommy Vitolo and others relative to a specialized
stretch energy code; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 4084)
of Tommy Vitolo and Jack Patrick Lewis relative to a surcharge on the
988 system; the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 4689) of Kelly
W. Pease and Lindsay N. Sabadosa for legislation to establish buffer zones
for battery storage facilities; and the petition (accompanied by bill, House,
No. 4690) of Kelly W. Pease, Lindsay N. Sabadosa and Donald R.
Berthiaume, Jr. relative to lithium battery storage facilities, reports
recommending that the accompanying order (House, No. 5323) ought to
be adopted.
  For the committee,
  MARK J. CUSACK.
      HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 5323
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  House of Representatives, April 6, 2026.
 1  Ordered, That the committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy be authorized
 2   to sit during a recess of the General Court to make an investigation and study of House
 3   documents numbered 2346, 3444, 3445, 3446, 3447, 3448, 3449, 3450, 3451, 3452, 3453, 3454,
 4   3455, 3456, 3457, 3458, 3461, 3462, 3463, 3464, 3466, 3467, 3468, 3470, 3471, 3472, 3473,
 5   3474, 3477, 3479, 3480, 3482, 3483, 3484, 3486, 3488, 3489, 3490, 3491, 3492, 3495, 3496,
 6   3497, 3498, 3500, 3501, 3503, 3504, 3505, 3506, 3507, 3508, 3510, 3512, 3514, 3515, 3518,
 7   3519, 3523, 3525, 3526, 3527, 3528, 3529, 3530, 3531, 3532, 3533, 3535, 3536, 3537, 3539,
 8   3540, 3541, 3544, 3547, 3550, 3553, 3554, 3557, 3558, 3559, 3560, 3561, 3562, 3563, 3564,
 9   3565, 3567, 3568, 3569, 3570, 3571, 3572, 3573, 3574, 3575, 3577, 3578, 3579, 3580, 3581,
10   3582, 3583, 3584, 3585, 3951, 3972, 3974, 4036, 4052, 4084, 4689 and 4690, relative to utilities,
11   electric vehicles, bottle bill expansion and other related issues.
12  Said committee shall report to the General Court the results of its investigation and study
13   and its recommendations, if any, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry such
14   recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the Clerk of the House of Representatives
15   on or before December 31, 2026.
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