- Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
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Lauren Diggin, External Affairs Manager
Boston — The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) today announced that it selected the City of Northampton as the Substitute Community to participate in the Municipal Fossil Fuel Free Building Demonstration Program. Northampton joins nine other communities in the program, which enables cities and towns to adopt and amend general or zoning ordinances or by-laws to require new building construction or major renovation projects to be fossil fuel-free.
“Regional equity is a top priority for the Healey-Driscoll Administration. We’re pleased to welcome Northampton to the fossil fuel-free pilot program, alongside nine other communities. We look forward to learning from this program as we work to decarbonize our buildings,” said DOER Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony. “Choosing between two communities on the cutting edge of climate innovation was challenging, and we want to thank Somerville for its bold climate leadership. As the pilot gets started, we encourage all communities interested in lowering emissions and energy costs to adopt the specialized energy stretch code to ensure new buildings are equipped with heat pumps and other electric appliances.”
"Northampton is honored to join the state’s Fossil Fuel Free Demonstration Program, marking a milestone for Western Massachusetts in the transition to sustainable building practices," said Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra of Northampton. "This program builds on our community and the state's commitments to climate action. We are ready to share our experiences and learn alongside other pioneering cities as we all work toward a greener, renewable Commonwealth. I want to thank Governor Healey and her Western Mass Director Kristen Elechko, Commissioner Mahony and the Department of Energy Resources, Senator Jo Comerford, Representative Lindsay Sabadosa, and the many advocates who helped bring us to this moment."
Northampton presents an opportunity to include a Western Massachusetts city in the program, ensuring that the program has regional and economic diversity. Northampton will be the only community in the program served by National Grid electric. The other nine communities are primarily in Eastern Massachusetts and are served by Eversource electric.
DOER selected a Substitute Community following consultations with the electric and gas utilities and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and considered the selection criteria included in its regulations, which include the following factors.
- Contribution to the overall project
- Ability to meet reporting requirements
- Consistency with model rules
- Compliance with zoning guidelines
- Localized electric grid capacity
- Community support
An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind requires DOER to establish a demonstration project that allows ten municipalities to adopt general or zoning ordinances or by-laws that require new building construction or major renovation projects to be fossil fuel free. In 2023, DOER promulgated regulations to establish the requirements and timeline for cities and towns to participate.
The law requires DOER to prioritize the applications of municipalities that submitted home rule petitions to the Legislature requesting the ability to implement fossil fuel free by-laws and ordinances prior to the passage of the law in August 2022. Ten “Prioritized Communities” submitted home rule petitions: Arlington, Lexington, Brookline, Acton, Concord, Cambridge, Lincoln, Newton, West Tisbury, and Aquinnah.
Nine Prioritized Communities submitted applications to participate, and one, West Tisbury, submitted a letter of withdrawal. That withdrawal opened a spot for potential substitute communities to apply to participate. DOER received applications from two Substitute Communities: Northampton and Somerville.
The law also requires municipalities to have met housing production criteria by February 2024 to participate.
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