21.201 A Resolution in Opposition to State Incentives for Biomass Plants City of Northampton
MASSACHUSETTS
In the City Council, March 4, 2021
Upon the Recommendation of: Councilor Alex Jarrett
Councilor Rachel Maiore
Northampton Energy and Sustainability Commission
R-21.201
A RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO STATE INCENTIVES FOR BIOMASS PLANTS
WHEREAS, the City of Northampton is committed to ensuring and safeguarding the health,
safety, and environment of the residents of our community; and
WHEREAS, wood-burning biomass plants are a highly polluting form of energy generation,
known to release pollutants including fine particulate matter, volatile organic
compounds, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide; and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth adopted science-driven Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)
regulations in 2012 recognizing that wood-burning power plants emit more
carbon dioxide than fossil fuel power plants per unit of energy generated; and
WHEREAS, due to the 2012 RPS regulations, the only wood-burning biomass plants eligible
for Massachusetts renewable energy incentives have been small, efficient
combined-heat-and-power biomass plants; and
WHEREAS, if the weakened RPS regulations proposed in December 2020 by the
Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) go into effect,
Massachusetts incentives would be available for inefficient large-scale biomass
power plants; and
WHEREAS, the proposed RPS regulations would wrongly incentivize the construction of a
large-scale wood-burning biomass plant proposed by Palmer Renewable Energy
in Springfield, an Environmental Justice community already heavily burdened by
industrial air pollution and by record-setting rates of asthma and other
respiratory illnesses; and
WHEREAS, particulate and gaseous pollution from the planned Palmer Renewable Energy
plant would increase hazardous pollution throughout the Pioneer Valley; and
WHEREAS, our City stands in solidarity with the residents of the City of Springfield, and the
Springfield City Council, which passed a resolution on December 21, 2020,
opposing Massachusetts state incentives for wood-burning biomass plants,
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of Northampton opposes any state
incentives for inefficient commercial wood-burning biomass plants in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council calls upon the Massachusetts DOER to revise the
proposed RPS regulations by returning the woody biomass provisions to their previous, science-
based language; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council calls upon the Joint Committee on
Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy of the Massachusetts Legislature to hold an
accessible public hearing on said proposed RPS regulations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council urges its State Legislative Delegation to support
state legislation to remove and bar taxpayer and ratepayer incentives for inefficient commercial
biomass power plants in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by making them ineligible to
meet the requirements of the Renewable Portfolio Standard; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Administrative Assistant to the City Council shall send a copy
of this Resolution to the Springfield City Council, Representative Lindsay Sabadosa and Senator
Jo Comerford, as well as Governor Charles Baker, DOER Commissioner Patrick Woodcock, and
the Co-Chairs and Vice Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and
Energy, Senators Mike Barrett and Mark Pacheco and Representatives Jeffrey Roy and Paul
Mark.