Regional Clean Energy Policies

In addition to individual towns, a number of regional policies that include specific goals relating to clean energy technology have been implemented and are in development around Massachusetts. Regulatory frameworks for promoting and regulating renewable energy installations are also emerging at the regional level.

Regional Policies Overview

Regional policies and plans can be critical for promoting clean energy and for regulating renewable energy development activities. Community-based efforts to inform and influence policymaking at the regional level are also helping accelerate progress toward a sustainable energy supply and use structure.

Regional Planning Agency Initiatives

Regional planning agencies may incorporate objectives relating to clean energy within regional policy plans. They can also encourage renewable energy development by providing technical services and tools to municipalities. Several examples of MTC-funded activities are described below.

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission has created reference materials to clear regulatory barriers and promote renewable energy development within 43 cities and towns in the Connecticut River Valley in western Massachusetts.

The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission has developed siting guidelines that set baseline criteria for wind energy development within the 32 municipalities that make up Berkshire County.

The Cape Cod Commission has developed a model bylaw, suitability map, and technology assessment to provide the 15 towns in Barnstable County with a framework and tools for evaluating and regulating wind energy development within their borders.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Commission has assisted 10 coastal communities in evaluating issues and barriers relating to wind energy development. Under its North Shore Wind Project, the commission also has developed a draft siting ordinance for local wind projects.

Community-Based Initiatives

Community-based initiatives represent a "bottom-up" option for informing "top-down" planning and policymaking by regional agencies and officials.

For the six towns on Martha's Vineyard, the Vineyard Unplugged initiative is guided by a vision of "energy independence within a generation." A non-binding Renewable Energy Island resolution was approved at the annual town meetings in all six communities, and a strategic action plan for the entire Vineyard is being developed to achieve the following regional policy objectives relating to renewable energy:

•  Encourage the generation of clean energy for heating, electricity, and transportation.
•  Promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources through the careful revision of zoning bylaws and building codes, as well as through the regulations administered by the Martha's Vineyard Commission.

A complementary Beyond Cape Wind process is engaging stakeholder organizations throughout the Cape & Islands region in joint fact-finding activities to characterize the challenges associated with the energy present, develop consensus goals for the energy future, and develop strategies for managing the energy transition. The process is designed to broaden the context of public discussion about renewable energy, inform decision-making at the individual and community levels, and promote favorable treatment of clean energy technologies by the agencies and officials that implement regional plans and policies.

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