City of Boston Adopts Small Clean Energy Infrastructure Zoning

~ Boston, MA - The City of Boston Zoning Commission has recently adopted new zoning regulations for Small Clean Energy Infrastructure in order to comply with the Massachusetts State Climate Act. This move comes as part of the city's efforts to decarbonize and transition to fully electric energy sources in the coming years.

The new zoning, which establishes a 'Consolidated Local Permitting process', is in line with both state law and Boston's own climate resiliency goals. This process aims to streamline and simplify the permitting process for clean energy infrastructure, such as solar panels, wind turbines, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and short energy transmission lines.

Mayor Michelle Wu expressed her enthusiasm for the new zoning, stating that it will help expand Boston's electric capacity, lower costs, and ensure a more sustainable future for current and future generations. "Boston has set clear goals to reduce carbon emissions by 2030," she said. "And we will continue taking big swings to improve quality of life for all our residents."

Chief of Planning Kairos Shen also highlighted the benefits of this new zoning, stating that it not only helps meet carbon neutrality goals but also improves the city's permitting process overall. "Streamlining for clarity and predictability is essential to creating a more energy-efficient city," he said.

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Chief Climate Officer Brian Swett emphasized the positive impact that clean energy and battery storage can have on a community. "The benefits are clear: more affordable electricity, less pollution, and local control over our energy production," he said. "Improving how we permit clean energy infrastructure is a critical step in reducing Boston's emissions and achieving our shared climate action goals."

The State has mandated that cities and towns provide an opt-in consolidated permitting process for this type of infrastructure by October 1, 2026. This aligns with Boston's 2030 Climate Action Plan and its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 2050.

Massachusetts Energy Resources Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony praised the City of Boston for taking this important step towards bringing more clean energy into the state. "Solar and storage are some of the cheapest and fastest energy we can build," she said. "The City of Boston is taking an important step forward in bringing more clean energy into Massachusetts to lower costs and reduce climate-warming emissions."

In addition to meeting climate goals, this new zoning and permitting process also supports the city's efforts to increase grid capacity, keeping costs low and reducing pollution for a healthier community. The Planning Department will now focus on creating design guidelines for this type of infrastructure to ensure it is consistent with neighborhood context and enhances the safety of public spaces.

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This move towards cleaner, more sustainable energy sources aligns with Mayor Michelle Wu's announcement in April of Boston's 2030 Climate Action Plan. This plan outlines the city's targets for reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. The plan includes 22 metrics that will be tracked through the Climate Action Plan Implementation Dashboard over the next five years.

Throughout the creation of this plan, the City of Boston prioritized community engagement in its environmental justice communities. It will also implement strategies to ensure that every neighborhood receives the public health, economic, and resilience benefits of climate action.

With these new zoning regulations in place, Boston is taking a significant step towards a cleaner, more sustainable future for all its residents.

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