Lawmakers look toward energy affordability 

Affordability has become the new watchword in American politics and an emerging House force bill marks a sharp shift away from the clean strength thrust of latest state laws and elevates pocketbook issues that are also on the minds of ratepayers and businesses Citing federal actions that are impeding the state s clean resource transition House Democrats have assembled an omnibus bill that appears to represent a response to Gov Maura Healey s potency affordability bill H The measure is sparking a backlash from clean force advocates who have helped shape state environment laws House members of the Telecommunications Utilities and Resource Committee face a Wednesday deadline to vote on the -section bill sponsored by Braintree Democrat Mark Cusack that would tie clean potency transition regulations and requirements to a new affordability and competitiveness standard The bill detaches the Mass Save rebate project from its greenhouse gas emission reduction focus and retrains it on its original focus on cost effectiveness and potency efficiency according to a summary If passed the bill would also remove the ban on customers receiving Mass Save rebates for efficient gas heating systems and cap the undertaking at billion The bill cuts the - Mass Save plan to reduce it from billion The bill creates a Division of Clean Vitality Procurement within the Department of Force Guidance and authorizes that agency to procure power storage and demand response services replacing existing procurements conducted by electric distribution companies A central procurement fund would be established to finance long-term contracts and funded by tariffs approved by the Department of Population Utilities as well as legislative appropriations bid fees and other population private revenue The bill also uses clean peak vitality credits to boost the standing of hydropower requires quarterly reporting on rates by competitive electric suppliers temporarily reduces the amount of new power that suppliers must sell from renewable ability sources and repeals the plan to add biomass to the MLP Greenhouse Gas Emission Standard in The summary also outlines parts of the bill that repeal a law banning new nuclear power plants from being constructed without statewide voter approval and extend from to the deadline for the state to contract for megawatts of offshore wind power Cusack who co-chairs the potency committee was unavailable for comment but earlier in the session talked about reevaluating the state s carbon reduction requirements He opened the poll Monday at p m citing Joint Rule D and the deadline for committee members to vote on the bill is Wednesday at p m The Conservation Law Foundation noted the bill would gut the state s circumstances law and cut strength efficiency programs that help reduce contamination and utility bills for Massachusetts families The Green Potential Consumers Alliance is speculating about a House vote on the bill Thursday and urging people to ask lawmakers to oppose any bill that would weaken the state s emissions reductions targets or reduce the budget of the Mass Save plan A spokeswoman for House Speaker Ron Mariano on Tuesday called the idea of a House vote on Thursday on the bill not accurate noting the bill will likely move next to the House Avenues and Means Committee Mariano has advised representatives of a foreseen formal session Thursday Nancy Lane Boston HeraldHouse Speaker Ron Mariano