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S 2294

Permits employees of authorized organizations to operate games of chance

2025 Regular Session Introduced by James Skoufis

The bill creates a Green Plus Communities program to accelerate local decarbonization, sets building emission limits for large buildings, and funds deep energy retrofits via grants

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Bill Summary · S 2294

Note on sources: the file text provided is a Massachusetts Senate bill (Senate No. 2294 / Jason M. Lewis) on building energy and decarbonization. Some metadata attached to your request (title, sponsor lists, and procedural entries) appears inconsistent with that bill text. The summary below is based on the bill text you supplied.

Summary — An Act relative to building energy and decarbonization (S. 2294)

Purpose
- Establish a framework to accelerate building-sector greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions in Massachusetts by: (1) creating a voluntary “green plus community” designation for municipalities that commit to community-wide emissions planning and local stretch codes; (2) defining building emissions metrics and setting building-level emissions/performance limits for large buildings; and (3) creating funding and compliance mechanisms (grants, loans, alternative compliance payments, fines, and a retrofit trust fund) to support deep energy retrofits.

Key provisions
- Green Plus Communities (amendment to chapter 25A, §10):
- Municipalities may apply to be designated “green plus communities.”
- Requirements include: filing an application; establishing a municipal GHG baseline (residential, commercial, industrial — may include transportation, waste, other sources); adopting a plan to reduce the baseline by at least 20% within 5 years of participation; adopting the municipal opt‑in specialized stretch energy code; and meeting core Green Communities qualifications or being served by a municipal lighting plant.
- Preference for municipalities that include additional emissions sources in their baseline.
- The Division (state agency) must adopt a community-wide GHG tracking system within one year.

  • Funding changes (chapter 25A, §10(d)):

    • Raises an identified funding figure from $20,000,000 to $40,000,000 and requires at least $10,000,000 be allocated to green plus communities.

  • Building metrics and standards (chapter 25A, §20):

    • New definitions: “building emissions” (metric tons CO2e from operating a covered building) and “building emissions intensity” (CO2e per sq. ft. per year).
    • The Department must promulgate regulations establishing annual carbon intensity limits, building energy performance standards, or a combination for large buildings, aligned with statewide emissions limits (Chapter 21N). Limits will be set in periods no longer than five years and phase down over time.
    • Regulations must allow use‑type differences (commercial/industrial, residential) and may exclude EV charging.
    • Alternative compliance mechanisms: adjustments for on‑site renewables, special building categories, protections/adjustments for low‑ and moderate‑income housing and small businesses, alternative compliance payments, and fines (fines > alternative compliance payments). Payments and fines are deposited into a new Building Energy Retrofit Program trust fund.
    • Once a building is designated “large,” it must comply with annual performance limits.

  • Reporting and municipal authority:

    • Outreach/materials must be in English and other common languages and list available incentives.
    • The Department will accept approved municipal large‑building reporting programs (owners in those municipalities need not re‑report to the state) and may allow municipalities to adopt their own reporting requirements and stricter building emissions or performance standards.

  • Funding program (chapter 25A, new §21):

    • Establishes a Building Energy and Emissions Retrofit Funding Program (grants/loans) to support deep energy retrofits. (Text is truncated; full program rules and funding sources are not provided in the excerpt.)

Who is affected
- Municipal governments (opportunity to opt in as “green plus communities”; ability to run local reporting programs and adopt stricter standards).
- Owners/operators of large buildings (new reporting, performance limits, compliance options, potential fines or alternative compliance payments).
- Low- and moderate‑income households and small businesses (explicitly identified for reduced alternative compliance payment rates and accommodations).
- State agencies (Division/Department required to promulgate regulations, tracking systems, and administer funding).

Procedural status (from provided actions)
- Filed in Senate (filed 1/15/2025 in the bill text); passed the Massachusetts Senate (reported as passed 4/28/2025) and referred to additional committees (Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy; later listed as referred to Racing and Wagering in the actions list). Hearing notices and other committee actions are noted in the metadata but include some inconsistencies.

Notes / caveats
- The excerpt truncates Section 21; details on grant/loan eligibility, funding amounts, and administration are incomplete in the supplied text.
- Metadata supplied with the file contains inconsistencies (different sponsor lists, an unrelated initial title). This summary relies on the bill text filed by Senators Jason M. Lewis, Manny Cruz, and Joanne Comerford. If you want, I can reconcile the procedural history and sponsor metadata against official legislative records.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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