From: Steve Grady <ssgrady4@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, June 3, 2019 9:28 PM
To: RPS, DOER (ENE)
Subject: Stakeholder Comment - RPS Class I & II regulations
Categories: Saved as HTML
June
5, 2019
John Wassam,
Central Massachusetts is home to the Quabbin Reservoir, Boston's water supply and watershed area. This link takes you to the Town of New Braintree home page. Notice that the green landscape is devoid of ugly, intermittent "solar farms".
Central Massachusetts is forested, which makes for a healthy rural environment.
The first commentator at your May 13, 2019 hearing was Professor William R Mumma, from Tufts University. He elaborated on the benefits of forested land, how the trees clean the air, consume CO2 and produce oxygen. The current DOER vision on renewables threatens
the very environment that it purports to protect. Clear cutting the
Massachusetts forest to install commercial solar PV is a mistake. Trees and
active green vegetation consume CO2. Valuable wildlife and nature are
severely restricted when the forest is fragmented by your subsidized large
fenced in areas of solar PV.
Deploying commercial solar by force, incentives are economic forces, without a viable storage solution is "putting the cart before the horse". National Grid recently sent notification that further study is needed prior to issuing additional ISA’s necessary for commercial solar. Section 14.07 Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard - Class I, Cumulative Minimum Percentage should not increase until after New England Power Co concludes it’s “Cluster Study”. We see the DOER increasing this mandate from 1% to 2% as punitive and non-productive. The DOER should act responsibly, considering the cost to us the ratepayers. No increase in solar deployment is warranted until after this study is completed.
No
increase in mandate until after Cluster Study!
If
renewables are able to replace fossil fuel then why is the UMass campus in
Amherst powered by Natural Gas, a fossil fuel?
If
it is not possible to power even one State facility entirely with renewables
why is the DOER financing the clear cutting of our beautiful state!
Steve
Grady, a ratepayer
email:
ssgrady4@gmail.com
Cell:
508-450-4654