Overview
The 2024 Climate Act tasked the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) with the development of a methodology for determining the suitability of sites for Large and Small Clean Energy Generation Facilities, Large and Small Clean Energy Storage Facilities, and Large and Small Clean Transmission and Distribution Infrastructure Facilities in newly established Public Rights of Way; and guidance to inform state, regional, and local regulations, ordinances, by-laws, and permitting processes on ways to avoid, minimize or mitigate impacts on the environment and people to the greatest extent practicable.
EEA’s Site Suitability Guidance informs regulations promulgated by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB). DOER’s 225 CMR 29.00: Small Clean Energy Infrastructure Facility Siting and Permitting establishes standards, requirements, and procedures governing the siting and permitting of Small Clean Energy Infrastructure, including the application of EEA’s Site Suitability Guidance for local governments. The Energy Facilities Siting Board’s (EFSB) proposed 980 CMR 15.00: Cumulative Impact Analysis and Standards for Applying Site Suitability Criteria will govern the application of EEA’s Site Suitability Guidance siting and permitting of Large Clean Energy Infrastructure Facilities. For more information on these regulations, visit mass.gov/energypermitting.
Site Suitability Guidance
EEA has published its final Guidance on Site Suitability Assessments for Clean Energy Infrastructure:
Final Site Suitability Guidance
EEA accepted a second round of written comments on the draft Guidance on Site Suitability Assessments for Clean Energy Infrastructure submitted through February 13, 2026. All comments received can be downloaded as a zip file here. Further background on public engagement for this guidance can be found on at the Development of the Siting and Permitting Reforms for Clean Energy Infrastructure webpage
Site Suitability Mapping Tool
EEA's Site Suitability Mapping Tool accompanies its Guidance. It is currently in draft form and is meant to familiarize project applicants and other stakeholders with the tool and illustrate how it will be used to score projects. The draft version includes the data layers associated with four of the site suitability criteria. It also allows users to draw a site footprint and calculate the average values of the indices associated with each these criteria for a site, but it does not yet calculate accurate Site Suitability scores. The Climate Resilience Design Standards Tool used to score Climate Resilience site suitability is not included in the draft mapping tool and must be evaluated separately.
Site Suitability Mapping Tool (Draft)
A finalized mapping tool that will automatically calculate Site Suitability scores is expected to be released later this Spring (2026). GIS data layers for the indices used to calculate Agricultural Resources, Biodiversity, and Carbon Sequestration and Storage scores are contained in the following downloadable zip files and can be used to precisely score sites ahead of the release of the finalized Site Suitability Mapping Tool later in the Spring of 2026. The methodology for calculating site suitability scores is described in the Guidance on Site Suitability Assessments, along with references for all the original geospatial data sources utilized.