Event Recap: Investing in Our Commuter Rail, Investing in Our Future
December 18, 2024
On December 17, 2024, A Better City welcomed MBTA Chair Tomas McGee, Mike Muller, MBTA Commuter Rail Executive Director, Abdellah Chajai, Keolis Commuter Service Massachusetts CEO, and experts from A Better City members AECOM, Alstom, Arup, and HNTB at the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston to discuss the future of commuter rail and the next commuter rail procurement.
Speakers provided an update on the MBTA’s rail modernization vision and the next commuter rail procurement process as well as an overview of the Fairmount Line electrification pilot. Panelists discussed available options and best practices for procurement models, technologies, and financing to support rail transformation that provides faster, more reliable, and sustainable commuter rail service for Greater Boston.
The event opened with an enthusiastic welcome from Kate Dineen, A Better City President &CEO, to the discussion of procurement for the next commuter rail contract by the MBTA followed by remarks from Thomas McGee, Chair of the MBTA Board, who emphasized that our region needs move from commuter rail toward “regional rail” to achieve the transportation system of the future that provides frequent all-day service across the network.
Mike Muller, Executive Director of Commuter Rail for the MBTA, presented slides on the Path Forward for Modernizing the MBTA Commuter Rail Network. He echoed Chair McGee’s message that rail modernization is about transforming the legacy commuter rail system into a high frequency, decarbonized “regional” rail service that has regular clock-face service, for all types of riders on updated trains under a modern contract structure.
He laid out the MBTA rail modernization goals and what they should support: 1) regional growth, equity, and environmental justice by providing better connections . . .
ABC Celebrates the Passage of the 2024 Climate Bill
November 22, 2024
When the 2023-2024 legislative session officially ended on July 31st, 2024, there was deep frustration among members, partner organizations, and environmental advocates that the Massachusetts Legislature was unable to deliver an economic development bill or climate bill to Governor Healey’s desk by August. Thanks to the determination of state Senate and House leadership, both chambers passed rules to enable their legislators to return to Beacon Hill and move bills forward outside of the official legislative session. The 2024 climate bill (S.2967) was passed through the Legislature on November 14th and signed into law by Governor Healey on November 20th.
Key Takeaways from the 2024 Clean Energy Siting & Permitting Bill S.2967
As the third omnibus climate bill to pass through the Legislature in two sessions, the new Act Promoting a Clean Energy Grid, Advancing Equity, and Protecting Ratepayers (2024 Climate Bill) implements many of the recommendations from the Commission and Clean Energy Permitting and Siting, which was formed as a result of the 2022 Climate Bill and was tasked with addressing significant delays in clean energy projects.
Key aspects of the 2024 Climate Bill include:
- Permitting Deadlines: This bill significantly streamlines and accelerates clean energy project permitting, with the creation of a consolidated permit option to combine all state, regional, and local permits into one master permit. It also sets a deadline for decision-making by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) for small permits (25MW or less electricity generation or 100MWh or less of energy storage) to be completed within 12 months, and for large permits to be completed within 15 months. For all projects, applications would automatically receive approval upon passage of the deadline . . .
A Better City Celebrates the Passage of the Economic Development Bond Bill H.5100 (Mass Leads Act)
November 21, 2024
Earlier this month, the Legislature passed a $3.96B economic development bond bill An Act Relative to Strengthening Massachusetts’ Economic Leadership, also known as the Mass Leads Act, providing substantial capital bond authorizations alongside policy changes for economic growth in Massachusetts. On November 20th, Governor Healey signed the Mass Leads Act into law. This bill is intended to implement the recommendations of the 2023 economic development plan led by Secretary of Economic Development, Yvonne Hao, also referred to as Team Massachusetts.
Key authorizations within the Mass Leads Act include:
- Climatetech: $400M in capital to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) over the next 10 years.
- This includes $200M for innovation and the deployment of climatetech in Massachusetts via the Clean Energy Investments Fund, and $200M for the offshore wind industry via the Wind Industry Investment Trust Fund.
- The bill also includes a new tax credit for climatetech companies through a new program at MassCEC to invest in research, development, innovation, manufacturing, deployment of climatetech, and commercialization in the climatetech sector. The credit will be subject to a $30M annual cap.
- Life Sciences: reauthorizes the Commonwealth’s life sciences initiative through the allocation of $500M over 10 years to the Life Sciences Capital Fund.
- With the reauthorization of the life sciences initiative, also referred to as “Life Sciences 3.0,” the bill expands the mission of the Life Sciences Center to also include health equity, digital health, and artificial intelligence.
- The bill also increases the statutory cap for the existing Life Sciences Tax Incentive Program from $30M to $50M, with program extension through 2033.
- Public Infrastructure: $400M for the
Kick-Off to Powercorpsbos Building Operations Cohort #3 In-Service Learning and Lessons Learned Report
October 22, 2024
On September 20th, 15 PowerCorpsBOS building operator trainees from Cohort #3, their A Better City member building partners, and staff, all met for a morning mixer and DEI training at A Better City’s office. It was a great kick-off to the in-service learning to employment phase of the program with in-service learning starting in early October and continuing until early March 2025. Concurrently, trainees will be in building operations technical training. Thank you to Cohort #3’s building partners: Beacon Capital Partners; BioMed Realty (C&W Services); Boston Medical Center; Brigham and Women’s Hospital; BXP (C&W Services); Equity Residential; LC Anderson; MIT; Northeastern University; Related Beal; Schneider Electric; and WS Development (C&W Services).
Also launched at this event was a report Building Our Future: Lessons Learned from Partnering with the PowerCorpsBOS Building Operations Training Program synthesizing lessons learned from the past two and a half years, A Better City and its members have partnered with the City of Boston’s workforce development training program, PowerCorpsBOS. The report details the development and implementation of the building operations program track that aims to develop a viable pathway for 18-30 years old Boston residents to train, intern, and gain employment in Boston’s large buildings—filling a critical workforce gap in large building operations and . . .
Draft 2025-2027 Three Year Energy Efficiency Plan and How it Relates to a Better City’s November 2024 Recommendations
October 18, 2024
Written by: Yve Torrie, Director of Climate, Energy and Resilience, and Grayson Bryant, Senior Associate, Cadmus
In April 2024, the Massachusetts Program Administrators (PAs) submitted the draft of the 2025-2027 Three-Year Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization Plan to the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (EEAC) for comment and further refinement. EEAC councilors and the Council Consulting Team held multiple focused working sessions to propose and discuss the adoption of enhancements and modifications to the draft plan, resulting in the issuance of a council resolution proposing specific recommendations in June 2024. The PAs followed up with a detailed memo and supporting spreadsheet in August 2024 which detailed each recommendation and the degree to which it was incorporated into their final draft plan.
The PAs will formally file the 2025-2027 Three Year Plan with the Department of Public Utilities at the end of October and on October 23, at its monthly meeting, the EEAC adopted a resolution that recommends approval by the Department.
A Better City has been engaged throughout the development process, attending the initial workshops which began over a year ago, soliciting feedback from its members, and submitting recommendations to the EEAC in November 2023. A Better City staff also sit on the Commercial & Industrial Working Group (C&IWG) and the HVAC taskforce where they have identified improvements to the PAs current processes and procedures for project development.
A Better City has reviewed the plan with an eye toward how and to what degree the PAs have addressed A Better City’s recommendations made last year, continuing to advocate for changes that will benefit its members and the Commonwealth.
A link to the final draft of the Three-year Plan as it was provided to the EEAC by the PAs on September 25th is available here:
Virtual Briefing Recap: MBTA Track Improvement Program Progress & Next
September 19, 2024
On September 17, 2024, A Better City welcomed MBTA Chief of Staff, Katie Choe, and Senior Director of Alternative Service, Laura Riegel, to a virtual member conversation on the year-long Track Improvement Program (TIP) results and remaining work. Chief Choe outlined how the MBTA continues to make strides with faster and more frequent service delivery due to the success of the TIP, including the removal of all speed restrictions on the Blue Line and Green Line (central tunnel excluded) and considerable progress is apparent on the Red and Orange Lines. As of August 25, 2024, scheduled trips are up and wait time/headways are down across all rapid transit lines with an overall time savings to riders at almost 50 minutes. The ongoing and future TIP work on the Red and Orange Lines will remove the remaining 30 minutes riders are losing caused by slow zones. Learn more MORE
Virtual Focus Group Recap: Article 80 Modernization
September 18, 2024
In a special focus group held on September 16, members of A Better City received a preview of an Action Plan for Article 80 Modernization to be released by the end of September. Introduced by Interim Planning Department Director Devin Quirk, Deputy Director of Master Planning and Policy Nupoor Monani and Transformation Project Manager Kevin Crossley presented a status report of their activities, expanding on several previous discussions with A Better City. Earlier phases of the program include surveys with engaged and less engaged groups, research of the practices of per cities, and identification of several key principles to guide the changes to the process.
The Action Plan will codify draft recommendations centered on three core changes:
- Effective engagement
- Consistent standards
- Coordinated review
A significant component of effective engagement is overhauling the IAG process, replacing it with Community Advisory Teams with a clarified role, training, and support to enable members to provide more relevant contributions to the project review process. The aim for consistent standards is to provide greater predictability and transparency for the review process with clear definitions and better understood mitigation of impacts and a menu of community benefit options for developers to choose. The aim of coordinated review is to assemble a team from all reviewing agencies and departments in a single process. The review filings would be reorganized to more closely match the steps of the design process with a vote of the BPDA Board following schematic design before design development and construction documents stages. The overall goal is for increased operational predictability for all participants in the process.
Following review of the Action Plan with interested groups this fall, next steps in the modernization process are preparing for implementation in the second quarter next year including . . .
Next Steps for Boston's Zero Net Carbon Zoning After Zoning Commission Rejection
August 19, 2024
On August 14, the Boston Zoning Commission rejected the Zero Net Carbon (ZNC) Zoning Initiative for new buildings. The ZNC Zoning Initiative would apply to new buildings over 20,000 square feet or with 15+ units, or additions over 50,000 square feet (with an exception for hospitals). The zoning would have established new emissions requirements, mandating that new buildings be net zero emissions at the time of occupation, starting on July 1, 2025. Based on input from A Better City and other organizations, the ZNC Zoning Initiative included relaxed compliance timelines for certain sectors—hospitals and general manufacturing uses would have until 2045 to comply with the net zero emissions requirement, and labs and high ventilation buildings would have until 2035. In addition to the net zero emissions requirement, the zoning would continue to mandate that new buildings align with LEED standards and institute new embodied carbon reporting requirements.
Effective January 2024, the City of Boston requires that all new construction comply with the Municipal Opt-in Specialized Energy Code that includes high levels of efficiency and electrification readiness—many new buildings will be fully electric. The ZNC Zoning Initiative would build upon the code requirements mandating net zero emissions at occupation—meaning that the owners of new buildings must, from day one, pay to offset emissions associated with their electric use by choosing Power Purchase Agreements/Renewable Energy Credits/Community Choice Aggregation, etc.
A Better City’s most recent comments to the City of Boston emphasized that the ZNC Zoning initiative essentially penalizes new buildings for a dirty grid. In addition to the premium to build to the Municipal Opt-in . . .
Reflecting on the 2023-2024 MA Legislative Session: What Happened?
August 14, 2024
With the close of formal debate in Massachusetts’ two-year legislative session, many advocates, business leaders, residents, and partner organizations are feeling deep disappointment at the anticlimactic end to one of the most unproductive legislative sessions in recent history. Typically, the Massachusetts state legislature completes its work on July 31st, when it ends its formal debate period, but legislative leaders do have the ability to extend their legislative session to give additional time to address pending legislation. This year, with the legislature failing to reach consensus on major issues, like Governor Healey’s economic development bill (also known as the Mass Leads Act), the clean energy siting and permitting climate bill, and many other proposals, there is already talk of the legislature returning this fall to reengage on these bills. If this does happen, then A Better City will continue to advocate for the policies and priorities in our policy agenda.
Despite this uncertainty with the economic development and climate-related bills, we are encouraged that many issues related to A Better City’s areas of focus did become law in the past few weeks, in large part thanks to the FY 25 Budget. We want to highlight some of these successes below:
FY25 Budget Takeaways
On July 29th, Governor Healey signed the $57.78 billion state budget for FY25. This budget includes significant investments in education, infrastructure, transportation, and climate initiatives. Similar to the FY24 budget, the FY25 budget again commits about 1% of the overall budget to energy and the environment programs.
Some examples of FY25 budget commitments include (the full press release and summary can be found
Event Recap: Conversation With Brian Swett, Boston's Chief Climate Officer
August 14, 2024
On August 7th, A Better City’s Energy & Environment Committee hosted a meeting, extended to all A Better City members, with Brian Swett, Boston’s first Chief Climate Officer. This is Brian’s second appointment to the city’s leadership team as he served as the Chief of Environment, Energy & Open Space from August 2012 to January 2015. In the interim he worked at Arup fulfilling several roles until becoming their Americas East Leader from April 2022 to June 2024. During his time at Arup, he was an A Better City board member, and an active member of A Better City’s Energy & Environment Advisory Committee. At this meeting, Brian discussed the city’s climate priorities and led a candid discussion about areas of concern and suggestions for improvement. Slides and a recording are both available from this meeting.
Some very high-level takeaways included:
- The City of Boston’s climate action priorities include decarbonization (buildings), resilience (coastal, extreme heat, and precipitation), and energy transition (demand reduction and decarbonization, grid resilience, and city leadership), all within the context of climate justice.
- The City’s Environment, Energy & Open Space Cabinet has a new organization chart (slide 4).
- There is a new Climate Cabinet co-led by Brian Swett and Oliver Sellers-Garcia, the city’s Green New Deal Director and new Environment Commissioner, that will work on the next iteration of Boston’s Climate Action Plan to start in September 2024.
- There is a new Office of Climate Resilience led by Climate Resilience Director, Chris Osgood, (who is also a Senior Advisor to the Mayor), that will . . .
