Net Metering Conference Committee Urged to Reconvene

Boston- The Senate Republican Caucus today requested legislative advancement of the net metering solar energy bill which, having cleared both the House and Senate, has been lodged in a conference committee since November.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R – Gloucester), a member of the conference committee, was joined by members of the Republican Senate Caucus in calling for a swift return to the table for bill negotiators.

According to a letter addressed to the six conference members, the caucus believes that absent further action on the pending legislation a growing concern for the future of state’s solar power sector, which includes more than 12,000 jobs, will fuel “a significant degree of uncertainty that affects consumers, communities, and the ability of Massachusetts to continue its leadership on this front.

“We want to make certain that the industry has an opportunity to grow, that consumers have an opportunity to make choices, and that we expand the net metering caps,” said Tarr. “The best way to move our energy policy forward is with the members of the committee coming back to the table.”

Although the committee has only met once, Tarr said that he is encouraged that the Baker administration has been in contact with Representative Thomas Golden and Senator Benjamin Downing the chairmen of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. “People from every corner of the Commonwealth are waiting for us to get this bill to Governor Baker,” said Tarr. “I think it’s time to engage the committee, sit at a table, and have an exchange of ideas so that we can find some common ground.”

Net Metering Letter to Conference Committee