2021-11-02 00:00:00 - Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy
2021-11-02 00:00:00 - Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy
(Part 2 of 2)
yeah, all right,
Neil Nav call, uh, oh,
[ANIL NAVKAL:] pack your senate Democratic, the president of our and respected shine members of telecommunications, utilities and energy Until long term resident of and over has been here for the last 30, close to 25 years. I was affected by the Columbia gas accident and I'm here to testify in support of the future of the bills. So I'm going to start with a little bit of her going back into history as to how all that was experienced by a person in and our, and what happened in Lawrence the contrast and to show the Mark community always always suffers the disproportionate amount of the herd amount of everything. So more than three years ago, late in the afternoon we started hearing police sirens that lasted for hours simultaneously. We lost for our internet and were asked to shut off gas and we over house immediately. Local and national tv was lit up with gas leaks. It was Carey to say the least news of houses catching fire slowly started populating as someone who was handy and has a big ranch. I was not only shutting off my own gas was went around in the neighborhood helping them to do the same.
Since I knew my entire neighborhood gas workers have been shut off. I saw more danger of gas explosion in100 my house. So we opted not to leave our house within a few days. Some Columbia gas groups visited us ensuring our systems were after grade, our house was somewhat unusual as we have got five gas appliances, cooked up a fireplace, a boiler, a backup generator and a drive. Although we opted not to leave the house without electricity and internet, it was hard to feel comfortable. We have got internet back in two days. Electricity was restored in less than a week being a vegetarian and with the diabetes full options were severely limited not to make more difficulty. All nearby restaurants were closed, finding further out going further out. Some, it was not possible because many roads were closed.
There is initial lack of clarity in what appliances will have to be replaced149 for sure. Polar had to go. It was high efficiency boiler needed a skillful154 technician to arrange the placement to make it more interesting. The boiler manufacturers stopped making our boiler so equals replacement was not easily possible. Uh, their boiler systems for schools, I had helped the schools with the boiler system. So I had a reasonably good idea of what we look for. So we really had to have no choice but to go for himself mitigation. This option gave us the freedom182 and the burden to not only find suitable replacement, but for skill level technical help us to do that. It turned out to be a full time job and we spent no less than five months working on restoring our house.
We had to document our details, costs related replacements, dealing with losses of communities at home. All this had to be justified property insurance, a gesture located in Louisiana, all of our technical skills including power point excel spreadsheet organizing receive every possible expense at income an accident. It was readily apparent that people get fewer skills were being greatly handicapped and short changed help offered by Colombia was not adequate. The product offered to replace appliances with poor quality and not the highest quality efficiency Like the pilot. You know, we had to replace the washer and dryer and every single, was I had issues after issues. Uh, we had to247 actually remodeled the entire Washington, miss the system to get a new Washington since the gas explosion. I have learned a lot of, a lot about issues with natural gas distribution network have become painfully aware of gas leaks in the aging infrastructure, Thanks so much for all the work that has been done in the heat.270 I have organization have been been intimately now contact with the images from276 them and have been very grateful about what they have done.
But being a strong environmentalist myself and having282 worked with the community to reduce our carbon footprint. I wish I had taken a radically different approach of placing all my gas appliances to electric ones. 100% of our electricity needs are met with the rooftop solar. Uh, I'm sorry. Uh, I would just close very quickly saying that the community, educate me. I wish the state and local government had played significant role in educating customers about options they have Colombia could have been forced to provide alternative fuel efficient electric appliances at the same time promote rooftop solar so that irish electricity319 users could have come from a renewable source at an affordable price. I hope such things are being considered at the same time. The underlying uh uh future of hit bill is absolutely wonderful way to go through all these chairs. Thank you. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much. Excellent testimony. Why don't we go on and hear as well from Joni Parker. Hi,
[CLAIRE HUMPHREY:] [HB3298] [SB2148] I'm claire Humphrey.353 I'm representing Joni Parker who couldn't be here today. Okay. Um, so this is her testimony. Thank you. Senator Barrett Representative Roy and members of the Joint Committee on telecommunications utilities and Energy for this hearing Today. I am here to testify in support of the future of heat bill, H 3298 Senate 2148 as part of Gastric Allies and is a longtime labor union member and activist. I'm here to talk about the378 importance of workers. I want to emphasize what we need to include in this bill for the transition of workers in the gas industry. We cannot replace gas at the cost of gas workers. Economic well being. We want to make sure the intention of the future of heath bill supports workers with jobs in the gas infrastructure to be able to transition to the jobs in the renewable thermal energy infrastructure. It already includes language to ensure proper retraining of existing gas workers in section nine a. B. three. This would guarantee that gas workers would get the skills and experience necessary to build thermal energy systems when done by certified programs. It would also ensure that the workers would learn the safety skills necessary for the building of thermal heat.
We also want to see that languages included to guarantee prevailing wage standards for all gas workers to be able to maintain family sustaining wages in their future jobs knowing they will be paid prevailing wage standards, gas workers would not have to439 worry about the net zero goals to end the use of gas. They could443 join all of us who are fighting for the survival of our planet. In closing, there are four other related bills focused on safety and wage issues for gas workers. Together these bills would ensure that workers safety and wages are protected through labor standards and certified training is provided along with the funding. These bills are H 3350 for S 2721 79 act eliminating gas leaks. H 1954 S 1197 and act relative to473 a just transition to clean energy. H 1955 S 1198. An act relative to clean energy workforce standards and accountability and finally, H 3296. S 2177 act improving gas safety and excavation. We look forward to working with you to ensure there is an equitable just transition with workers voices at the table. Thank you for your time respected, respectfully submitted Joni Parker.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Mhm. Thank you very much for speaking in Miss Parker stead and we want to hear from Alladin Giraffe Now, if we could. Thank you. Good afternoon.
[ALADDINE JOROFF:] [HB3298] [SB2148] My name is517 Aladdin Gaurav. I'm an attorney and lecturer at Harvard Law School's Environmental Law and Policy Clinic. I'd like to begin by thanking chairs, Barrett and Roy and the members of the committee for this opportunity to testify in support of the future of heat bill. This bill builds on ongoing efforts by the legislature to ensure an equitable536 transition to an energy system that is safe and that contributes to the commonwealth greenhouse gas emission reduction mandates this bill is an example of the proactive and innovative planning that's needed to address potential disruptions from a shrinking customer base for gas companies and at risk that financial losses from stranded or557 unprofitable gas infrastructure will be passed on to ratepayers. These disruptions raise equity concerns because lower income consumers could bear a disproportionate burden of the resulting costs.
I'll briefly describe how to of the tools in the bill can help address these risks while minimizing impacts on rates and supporting a just transition of the labor force and low income consumers to a clean energy future. The first tool is authority for gas companies to redirect the use of funds and the gas safety enhancement program to pay for advanced repair techniques, only grown pipelines and replacement of leak prone gas pipelines with utility scale, non emitting renewable sources of thermal energy. Both provisions avoid sinking costs into new natural gas infrastructure by reusing money that the gas companies are already authorized to spend, so it's not a new cost to ratepayers.
614 A second tool is the creation of gas transition bonds. The bill allows the use of securitization to help fund the new uses of money from the gas safety enhancement program. In this instance, securitization refers to using ratepayer backed bonds instead of traditional debt or equity to finance some or all of a project. The gas transition bonds will be backed by rate payments, not the general taxpayers Use of securitization is not new in Massachusetts, for example, the legislature authorized it as part of the 1990 law restructuring the electric utility industry, a benefit to securitization is that the bonds have lower interest rates for the gas companies than other financing mechanisms, thus resulting in avoided costs. The bill directs that the664 avoided costs are the money saved from using gas transition bonds should be spent to support the transition of low income consumers to non emitting fuel sources and provide training for gas workers to transition to comparable clean heat jobs.
While the tools I discussed are optional rather than mandates the bill includes incentives for their use, Such as limiting depreciation for recovering the cost of new gas infrastructure until 2050 and authorizing gas companies to sell heat from sources other than gas. In conclusion, the bill is an important step in creating tools and incentives for deploying non emitting renewable sources of heat in a way that protects and promotes the interests of low income consumers and the gas labor force. I thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I'd be happy to follow up on any questions either today or after the hearing. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much. Mr off. Are there questions of this panel or of any particular witnesses?
[BARRETT:] I want to thank you all very much. And uh, this drop I am interested in the securitization question and look forward to following up with you following today's event.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
That sounds wonderful. Thank you sir. Thank you. Yeah. Why don't we move on to the next panel which has representatives of municipalities in some fashion that would include Barbara Haller of Winchester of Worcester Pat goes MBA of Salem uh Nick ILna Kearney of Cambridge. And the reverend lou bloom oh, of North and over. Could we hear from A and you guys,766 why don't you describe for us in what sense your you are representing the municipalities are just offering a view about municipalities.
Okay. Yeah.
Is Barbara Barbara Holler in the house from and I just muted myself.
[BARBARA HALLER:] [HB3298] [SB2148] Thank you. Senator and representative Roy and the committee members and thank you for holding this796 hearing. I'm here to advocate for your committee to vote support for s 21 48 age 30 to 98 act relative to the future of heat in the commonwealth. My name is Barbara Heller, I'm from Worcester I'm a810 former career employee of national grid, I'm also a former city council and I represented Worcester's most dense neighbourhoods, what I call gateway neighborhoods in the gateway city. Uh we contributed to the climate crisis many decades ago with our factories and refineries, but today we live with the issues of environmental and social justice exacerbated by climate change question I am I am a member of the Worcester licence Commission, the Main South Community Development Corporation, the main south speaking, brightly neighborhood association and remain active in my845 community. But I think most importantly for today's discussion um on the need for energy innovation853 towards non emitting renewable thermal energy is my role as a859 mother and grandmother.
My obligation and love for my Children and grandchildren is what brings me here today for we are in crisis and we need870 your leadership. I also want you to know that the support for energy innovation is great And growing when Worcester was crafting its green energy plan last881 year, we did a scientific public opinion survey of residents and it showed 89%,, 89% I think it is very or somewhat important that was to become a green and sustainable895 city, You can't get 89% of anything in Worcester so it was wonderful to see this huge support. Worcester is aligned with the legislature and we appreciate your leadership but we need the tools to reach our ambitious but also also necessary carbon neutral goals. This act, the act on the relative funeral future of heat in the commonwealth is such a vital921 tool. I wish to also underscore the great desire your constituents have for our commonwealth To provide leadership in clean energy technology and I'll give you an example in early 21 when ever source advertised for its geothermal,
I was intrigued and understood immediately that Worcester needed to do this and that my neighborhood in Maine South was the area that needed to be the site. I was aghast when I heard there was only one pilot to be had for surely there should be hundreds, I reached out to the movers and shakers in my community for support and the response was dramatic and strong and indicative of the groundswell of support and demand for happened transition to renewable and in a manner that low income rental residents and small businesses who also often rent and struggle to be profitable would be able to participate affordably support.
Letters came in U. S. Congressman Jim McGovern state senator Harriette, Chandler representative mary keefe mr city manager at augustus mayor joe petty City council councillor, Sir, Robbie, Rivera tim Murray President and ceo of the Chamber of Commerce with 2100 members. Taylor Beard and part partner Civic oh steve Teasdale, the executive Director of the Maine South CDC event. Dyson. Executive director of Mr Common ground D. C. Z. Development. All all developers of hundreds of thousands and small business units in our city. Got Haman partner in the MLB raised apartment complex. David Connell, President and Ceo of the Lions, G. H. Clinton massachusetts, Laura Perez Garcia President the main self business association race will last direction director of programmes rejoin regional environmental council. That New South people right liberals association. There are all even for us I have one sentence left. We are all eager for us to move forward for the ever source network micro kid grid and for meeting1055 our renewable renewable energy goals. We await your leadership time is of the efforts. Thank you
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not. Thank you very much. And why don't we continue on with uh Pat his MBA at Salem. Uh huh. Okay.
What?
Yeah.
Hi, are you here? Uh I see you you're still muted Pat. There you go.
[PATRICIA GOZEMBA:] [HB3298] [SB2148] I'm sure I'll catch on to that before. Were on the1096 pandemic. Good afternoon Chair Barrett and thank you for the assist with the microphone chair louis Roy and members of the joint telecommunications utilities and Energy committee. I'm Patacas MBA co chair of Safe Salem Alliance for the environment. I thank you for allowing me to testify today on behalf of safe and1117 residents of Salem in strong support of a truly visionary bill with real solutions for the here and now. H 3298 S 2148. The future of heat by1131 Senator Cynthia Creem and Representative Laurie Ehrlich We are truly excited in Salem about geo microgrids in the past five years. Salem has become increasingly distressed by the danger involved in our use of gas are state Senator joan, lovely state representative paul Tucker and Mayor kim Driscoll have worked with safe and gas experts whom we have brought to our city to assess the dangers we live with in our streets, our homes and all our buildings safe begin its exploration of1165 the problems with gas in1167 2016 when we were fortunate fortunate enough to have bob back Lee of gas safety, inc Professor Nathan Philips1175 of boston University and Professor Marcos luna of Salem State University survey the gas leaks in our city and then plot them for us in our, in our neighborhoods using G. I. S.
We are just coming off the holy month of october in Salem but I encourage you to look at just one more bit of haunting Salem style, please google haunted by gas leaks in Salem, you'll be directed to our city website where you can explore safe and our municipalities wide and focused study of the big problem that we have with leaking gas and what some of our approaches are to dealing with them In Salem 50% of Salem residents rent their homes were in economically challenged population. As a gateway city and an environmental justice community. We are met with economic and environmental challenges at every turn. It is not surprising to many of us that1234 the most leak prone gas infrastructure in our city is in an environmental justice neighborhood.
The point it is to this neighborhood that we would like to see national grid bring heats cutting edge technology of geo microgrids. To spur this on over the past three years, safe has organized presentations of1255 Geo microgrids for the neighborhood and the broader community by heat. The innovative Cambridge based home energy and efficiency team. He has been an amazing innovator and tremendously generous in sharing their expertise with Salem, the largest property owner in in Salem and the point is the North shore Community Development Coalition and they are interested in further exploring geo microgrids in their buildings. Residents in the neighborhood are actively seeking solutions to the leaking gas that is killing their trees, leaking in their homes and driving up asthma rates. People want safe solutions for heating their homes.
Point Neighborhood residents are largely Dominican and their ties are deep with family and friends in Lawrence massachusetts, the site of a horrendous gas disaster in 2018, gas is not part of the future. We want in Salem, we have seen that it is explosive. We hope that Lawrence becomes one of the first municipalities to heat homes with Geo microgrids and we would like to see Salem follow not long behind, we believe that it is time to privilege environmental justice communities like Lawrence and Salem with cutting edge technology for heating such as Geo microgrids, many affluent affluent communities will be able to imagine how they can create microgrids but those of us in economically struggling communities need to have you in our legislature incentivize utilities and landlords to bring us the solutions that we desperately need. We look at the huge waste of tax of ratepayer money that is currently fuelling the profits of national grid and ever source in the gas system enhancement program.
The yellow replacement pipes, signature emblems of G Cep are familiar are familiar to us in Salem and yet the numbers of gas leaks in Salem never go down. We had as many leaks in 2018 as we get in 2017 leaks get fixed and just as many new ones appear we now have proof of the futility and costly nous of this infrastructure replacement boondoggle in that groundbreaking new report by Dorie Seavey G Cep at the six year Mark safe encourages you to consider redirecting millions of of dollars in G cep funds and start using them in helping communities transition off gas through strategies like Geo microgrids using Geo using GSM funds to bring us microgrids in Salem and Lawrence would be a wonderful solution. We ask for a favorable recommendation from tee. We for the future of heat bill. Let's move into a future of clean and renewable energy and away from polluting and dangerous fossil fuels gas should be the past. Salem1435 and Lawrence are ready for the future of he Geo Microgrids. Thank you. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very very much, Pat. Uh could we hear from Miss uh nickel? Not Kearney I apologize if I got the gender wrong, but Nicola Kearney is here.
[NIKHIL NADKARNI (CITY OF CAMBRIDGE PLANNER):] [HB3298] [SB2148] Yeah, thank you. Chairs barrett Roy and committee members for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Nikki Bell and Kearney I'm an energy planner, the city of Cambridge where I work on our climate energy policy. Um and in particular, I focus on some of our building decarbonization work and electrification initiatives. I'd like to just provide some context today for why renewable thermal is critical to meeting the climate goals of communities like Cambridge. So, building energy use Makes up about 80% of Cambridge's greenhouse-gas emissions similar to many other urban communities. Um in line of this, Cambridge adopted a net zero action plan in 20151495 Which established a commitment and specific measures to get to net zero emissions from buildings both existing and new over the course of the next 25 years.
Uh we have launched a number of programs to help residents retrofit their buildings and switch to clean heating and cooling. But the energy we used to1515 heat our buildings plays a tremendous role in our greenhouse gas emissions and how he reached these net zero goals over half of the energy used in Cambridge's buildings as for heating and hot water. Um and so moving to low carbon sources of heating is going to be critical for achieving our net zero goals. Uh so with this in mind, we completed a study of low-carbon energy supply in 2018 which identified electrification and low-carbon district energy systems as a viable path forward for decarbonization are heating and hot water use. More recently, we've been looking at electrification at their renewable thermal strategy um and looking at pathways to electrification for all building types.
So this is why I've been really interested in following the development of the Geo geo grid, formerly known as the Geo Micro District Pilot. We're interested to see what role it could play as part of a low carbon future as could really offer a new form of low carbon district energy. That's, that's more scalable um than traditional existing district energy systems and can also help address some of the challenges that we observe to individual building electrification such as peak demand issues and the costs of retrofit. We've been participating in all of the charette's organized by heat. We've been learning a lot and we're excited to follow the pilot into the next stages of development and to learn more as it goes forward. So thank you again to the committee for your1598 time and your attention to these really important challenges and opportunities. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much sir. Uh1606 and now we're going to hear from the reverend Lee bloomer. Yeah, Hi,
[REV LEE BLUEMEL:] [HB3298] [SB2148] thank you. Senator Barrett and representative Roy and all of the T we committee members. I'm the reverend Lee blue Mao, I'm a resident of north and over, a parish minister and fire department chaplain and I'm representing interfaith clergy, firefighters, families and impacted residents of and over North and over. And Lawrence Who all experienced the Merrimack Valley Gas Disaster of 2018. And I'm speaking in favour of the future H 3298, S. 2148. Many thought that we were under a terrorist attack during the 2018 gas disaster. 131 homes damaged by fires, 22 people injured, the displacement of thousands and the death of 18 year old Lino random. May his memory be a blessing and may exper us to action. The news showed images of the burning homes, but it couldn't show you the PTSD or the huge economic1665 impact of this manmade disaster long before covid.
So I invite you to imagine this when you think about gas heat or the gas utilities, people kicking down doors to try to put out fires with garden hoses, parents stuck in gridlock, frantic to get kids home alone, the toppled chimney that crumpled the car. Will Lionel1686 randon sat, imagine the noise, the constant sirens in the world helicopters that overwhelmed 911 call centers. Imagine firefighters risking their lives and neighbors running from house to house with wrenches to turn off the gas vows. Imagine displaced people streaming into the streets of Lawrence with nothing1704 and the volunteers working to absolute exhaustion at impromptu shelters. Imagine the subsequent PTSD among Children and youth who were afraid to fall asleep, afraid to cook at home, afraid of every siren.
Imagine families toughing it out in the cold and those getting up at four a.m. For commutes from far flung hotels. Imagine the new moms in the maternity ward being told initially that they would be discharged to shelters because they weren't allowed back home. Imagine the strong smell of gas in the air for days as1734 huge amounts of methane was vented or the constant calls on firefighters as gas smells cropped up in some neighborhoods for weeks and months. Imagine that had happened again because it did. Elementary kids were bussed home in Lawrence the next week due to a scare and one year later on september 27th, police and firefighters walked the streets of Lawrence at four AM using bullhorns and breaking down doors to wake people up because there was another major gas leak during the repair process. Hundreds stumbled into the streets in their PJs, just dazed and the gas company still had no accurate maps of their system to share with emergency responders.
An entire year later in 2018, the gas company resisted residents efforts to increase energy1780 efficiency. Gas was replaced with gas even when we begged for electric heat pumps and appliances, even energy star rated appliances or right sized furnaces. The Merrimack Valley wants to be off gas. Ask anyone, please resist the seduction of stalling or half measures and replacing gas with gas, please require utility scale change to move off gas. No one wants another death, more economic loss or societal trauma post Covid we saw in the Merrimack Valley how fast miles and miles of pipes could be replaced when the company wanted to. So let's replace them with geothermal hot water systems and heat pumps and solar. This is how we can truly love our neighbors and try to preserve what we can of God's irreplaceable creation. Thank you. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much. Are there questions of our panel,
[BARRETT:] I do have a question of mr not Kearney Um, what what other possibilities, let's assume we need to get off natural gas and promptly what, what additional possibilities exist. The Cambridge's1858 canvassed or looked at that seem possibly realistic. In addition to the district heating model that he describes so well, right.
[NADKARNI:] I think we've been looking into what it would take for individual building electrification through air source heat pumps primarily. Um, ground source heat pumps are much harder to implement in in1884 a dense communities like Cambridge or in many urban communities. Um, but you know, with air source heat pumps, we've been looking at what that looks like not only for single family homes, but also for multi family homes for renters. And this is where projects get successively more intensive to make those retrofits as well as present additional equity concerns for renting households and low income households
[BARRETT:] in the district heating model as I as I heard folks from, he described it today, uh deep bore holes would be drilled, but I listened carefully and the anticipation is that the bore holes1928 will be drilled on public rights of way. Is that is that realistic get in Cambridge? How would that, how would that work if if all the boring had to be done on current rights of way to which the utility already has access.
[NADKARNI:] Yeah, I should clarify my previous comments say in our previous study, we had really looked at individual backyards and stuff for for geothermal and that proved to be sort of a tight environment, but in the in collaboration with heat and with every source, we've been examining what that would look like for drilling in the public rights of way. And our public works department has been coordinating with ever source on thinking about how this could fit into existing street existing corridors and also coordinated exists with planned street reconstruction work. So I think there is an opportunity to not only fit it into the public right of way, but also to coordinate it with other work that's happening.
[BARRETT:] So this is this is a work in progress. I take it that trying to draw some preliminary judgments as to the feasibility of all that.
[NAKARNI:] Um I think so. I think what we, what I would say is that um, there is so with, with existing uh sewer and stormwater separation work, that's, that's going on. There is2023 an opportunity to think about how uh yogurt could be implemented at the same time. That's kind of the primary opportunity that we've been looking at the moment.
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Thank you very much. Are there additional questions of the panel? This has been an interesting group of folks to hear from. Okay, hearing none. We'll move on and well thank the panelists Very much and go on to panel number seven providing some business perspectives john Carlson Carey smith Eli Herman and an Berwick.
Okay, yeah,
[JOHN CARLSON (CERRES):] [HB3298] [SB2148] good afternoon Chairman Barrett, Chairman Roy and members of the committee. Thanks for this opportunity2071 to testify before the committee on the future of the natural gas system. My name is john2076 Carlson, I'm speaking on behalf2079 of series nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization, working with companies and investors to transform the economy. Normally, when you hear from me, I'm referencing specifically are bicep network businesses for innovative climate and energy policy, which is a coalition of over 70 major businesses committed to climate advocacy But series also has an investor network which currently includes around 175 members with collectively nearly $30 trillion dollars in assets under management. Our companies and investor members see climate change as a significant financial risk and reducing greenhouse gases as an economic opportunity with the passage of the next generation climate roadmap earlier this year, the new climate commonwealth mandates are 50% reduction in greenhouse gas Ashe below 1990 levels by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.
With natural gas projecting to make up two thirds of residential emissions by 2030 mitigation efforts must be prioritized rapidly as part of our climate action plan. The current gas infrastructure is old, leaky and2144 expensive. The recent study that I know others have brought up here found 49,000 tons of methane leaked into the air each year. We create six times higher than estimates based on the deeps Department of Environmental Protection's greenhouse-gas inventory, replacing gas pipes could cost gas customers $16 billion.16 billion dollars. Which would take 90 years to repay at current rates All for pipes that will likely be outdated by 2050 if not earlier. Historical expenditures on gas infrastructure are sunk costs, but we can choose where new investments are directed, electricity is cheaper per unit if he delivered the natural gas on average, especially after considering seasonal average efficiency advantage of the leading heat pumps.
Despite natural gas is widely being acknowledged as a cheap fuel, it cannot compete with the superior efficiency emissions profile or operating costs of heat pumps, decarbonization, alternatives of renewable natural gas and hydrogen blending are simply not cost competitive with heat pumps and face significant scaly barriers in valiant assets. Natural gas utilities are assuming2217 that current regulatory structure will persist for multiple decades. This is a highly unrealistic assumption and one lead that leads to misallocated capital and miss valued assets which will be a fundamental concern of investors is more buildings move away from natural gas for thermal energy. A shrinking customer base will be burdened with the stranded assets and cost recoveries of today's investment decisions.
So we need to be directing investments into decarbonization pathways and legislation can create the right incentives room for innovation and financial mechanisms for a just and equitable transition. The commonwealth gas system enhancement plans and securitization models authorized by legislation Under review. Today can finance this transition exploration of new utility business models at the DPU potentially at the Commission on Clean Heat may offer insights into approached urgently and with the proper focus on decarbonization mandates in coordination with labour can allow for gas workers to transition to comparable clean heating2279 jobs. Given the realities of capital expenditures and cost recovery timelines, we cannot delay action any longer. The investments we make today will be with us for decades to come. So we urge you to adopt legislation such as the Future of Heat act that will redirect investments towards sustainable future. Thank you.
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Thank you sir. Um Carey smith.
[CARY SMITH:] [HB3298] [SB2148] Yes, sir, thank you very much for I would like to thank the committee for this opportunity to testify. Uh, you are doing a wonderful job and I have enjoyed the conversation immensely. Uh, I'm here. I have one simple job to do and that is to let you know that first uh that the system works. I'm the managing director of an operations director of the graduate group, an international consulting firm and we specialize in district energy solutions and applications. I've served on the national committees and served on the national committees that form the code for this uh particular operation and for H V A C in general. I'm a E fellow and I'm past chair of the Ashe rate technical committees on G geothermal utilization and I'm also the past chair of an MTG avoided source energy consumption. So in there that point We have had these systems in operation since 2002.
We have over 35 multi district geosystems And they are ranging in size from the first one in 2002 to uh of 26 Holmes in steamboat springs colorado of all play, he says. And up to multi million square feet multi building campus is and districts so Are there questions on doesn't work, are already proven the system. In every case we have over 100 systems of multi building uh uh distribution systems and again they work, most are hospitals, anything from humanities and so forth. And I will be available to testify or to provide more information on any of the projects we have run. But I think that the fundamental operation in the fundamental uh purpose of my speech today is to let you know that they do work. The laws of physics are the same in the Western United States as they are in massachusetts and we are really dealing with those laws. So I thank you again and thank the committee for permitting me to testify and I hope you and wish you have success in your venture and your legislation and you are pioneers Welcome. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much, sir. Very interesting. Mr Eli Herman.
[ELI HERMAN (AKELIUS REAL ESTATE):] [HB3298] [SB2148] Good afternoon. Thank you. Chairs Barrett and Roy and the joint committee members. The opportunity to speak to you today, I'm testifying in support of the future of heat Bill H 3298 S 2148. My name is Julie Hermann and I'm a program manager for sustainability. Achilleas, real estate management. We own and manage 18 buildings with over 1000 apartments in the Boston area and over2490 45,000 apartment units worldwide. Earlier this year, Achilleas released a set of sustainability goals, including a2497 15% reduction in energy consumption by 2025, a net zero-carbon emissions by 2050. These aligned with local state international goals that are necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change in our lifetimes to achieve net zero carbon emissions, we must electrify our buildings, removing the older older gas and oil fired heating systems and replacing them with electric systems powered by renewable energy.
Today, the technology to meet these goals is not readily available and cost effective means at all locations, electrification through air source heat pumps is are currently available technology and cannot be installed on many zero lot line buildings without adequate roof space, adding the condenses to the roof presents us prevents that space from being used. Photovoltaic systems are green roofs. Historical neighborhoods may not allow installation of condensers on roofs and the efficiency of air source heat pumps is limited on the hottest and coldest days of the year and the continued installation of this technology could cause additional stresses that are already over ground and electrical utility infrastructure. Network geothermal can solve all of these problems. We need investments by government and utilities to bring this proven technology within reach.
We, as the industry, are willing to invest in this technology, we need buy in from the state in order to make it feasible. Network geothermal benefit our buildings directly but will also help our series as a whole adoption will reduce the heat island effect, reduce peak demand loads and increase access to high efficiency heating and cooling to at risk populations. This is not2593 an advancement that we can build on our own requires community involvement in community investment to paraphrase Albert Einstein, you cannot solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used to create them. We need collective efforts to tackle the climate crisis and partnerships between utilities, state agencies, Ngos and private industry like network Geothermal. Excuse me. Like network geothermal represent the kind of new thinking needed. Thank you very much. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you Mr Herman and Berwick welcome.
2629 [ANN2629 BERWICK (SUSTAINABILITY CITY OF NEWTON):] [HB3298] [SB2148] Thank you very much, Senator Barrett and um thank you both chairs for the opportunity2637 to speak and also members of the committee. So I um I am the former chair department of public utilities and currently the sustainability director for the city of Newton and I'm testifying in support of the Future of Heat Act. I very much appreciate the opportunity to do that when it was2656 issued. That GSM border made sense and I'm not just saying that because it was issued on my watch, we were looking at leaking infrastructure, leaking of polluting and explosive substance and it made sense to say repair the most leak prone pipes. We didn't really know how serious a whack a mole problem we would be confronting and we didn't know then what we know now about how short the leeches the leash is that2683 we're on to address climate change. But I want to say now, even though the G-7 order was issued on my watch that we are spending big big levels of money on infrastructure to deliver a product that we should eliminate. Let's spend that money on the transition to the new green economy that we all know we need, let me give you an analogy. I've heard it said that people don't want to buy energy, they want cold beer and hot water and this holds true for gas as well? People don't want natural gas?
They want warm homes, But under current law, the DPU can authorize natural gas companies to provide warm Holmes The DPU is limited to authorizing gas companies to sell natural gas, a product that is undermining our ability to address climate change with the leaks much greater than we had previously thought natural gas may be as much a problem as coal is. And you can fix this and note that President biden just announced either yesterday or today in Glasgow, a commitment to reduce methane emissions by enacting this legislation. You can move massachusetts in exactly that direction. One other point, this bill also addresses retraining gas workers. This is crucial. I don't typically seek to emulate joe Manchin, but he has a point on this one. The transition to the green economy won't happen unless the folks who do the work literally on the ground, the people who can make it happen are on board In some let's spend the $20 billion Commonwealth climate objectives, spending rate payer money in the most equitable and sensible way possible. Again, thank you for this opportunity to address you and thank you for all the work you do.
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Okay, thank you very much, Miss Berwick, are there questions of this panel?
[BARRETT:] I do have just two brief questions that and one is are there any limitations at all? Perhaps this question should go to Mr smith or Mr Herman, are there any limitations at all? Um in terms of the feasibility, the technological feasibility or as a practical matter of the the cost effectiveness in place for this technology, does it work equally well? I guess I'm talking at the moment about network geothermal rather than air source heat pumps. Does it work equally well in all urban areas? Can I work in a uh a 50 floor high rise? Can it work in a single family neighborhood where there are no nearby businesses in the suburbs and kind of work in rural massachusetts? So that's one question, the other way I would bifurcate things is to point out that 29% of Massachusetts. Holmes are treated with oil and there is no natural gas system at present. So what do we do with2873 that? 29%. And back to my original question where for reasons of cost, not technology, would you not do this? Mr smith or Mr Herman?
[SMITH:] I will challenge or try to ask your question, answer your question. Uh Quickly, first of all, there are no limitations to the size of the system. There are more, if you say, if I should say to uh individual and human restrictions, people who don't want to are afraid of the technology or don't understand it? Uh the technology2914 is relatively simple And has been around for literally 100 years? Uh we've we've applied that and to your question about where it's applicable as I told you the first application we had was a 26 home subdivision In Steamboat Springs. Now the altitude there is 9000 ft, which is just a little bit cold. Uh, and is a heating dominant, which you are in massachusetts. There are some geological restrictions that limit the officially the ability of the system to work. But what we're learning now is2955 that not, we don't have to install or renovate every building that is out there to reach our decarbonization goals. That because of the way we design the systems and the fact of where we are in the temperate zones of the world and this works anywhere basically the same in the temperance, north and south zones of the2984 world. You can turn around and make the system work. Now, We have found that somewhere around 50 uh, use of this particular type of technology Will meet the 50% carbon decarbonization zones are deep decarbonization goals that we have. And really the most effective way is communities that have multiple uses of the buildings. So if we combine a rural or combine a residential community with a commercial community, the to offset to each other. And what works the magic of this system is a, it works on the waste energy recaptured and we are able to trade the energy back and forth or reuse the same energy.
[BARRETT:] Thank you. Thank you. Mr Mr smith. I I want you to I do have a question about suburbs where there are not mixed uses that are approximate to one another. But I want to hear from Mr Herman as well.
[HERMAN:] Yeah, I would say that this is not the silver bullet that is going to work in every situation where I see it being the most valuable is in denser areas. I think it can work in a lot of different areas but it would be more likely to be applicable to Main street in a small neighborhood than you know somebody where the houses are more spread out. It's just not the technology that will work like most things we need to target the right technology for the right situation. So I think that you know, small towns, it could work very well in the downtown area where there is commercial where there are some close more closely uh are densely populated areas but it might not work on all communities.
3095 [BARRETT:] Um I would Mr smith. Do you have a, you want to comment on Mr Herman's comment?
[SMITH:] No, he's correct. Uh and you know, there's not an application that is the silver bullet but it takes about 90% of the silver bullet.
[BARRETT:] What would you do with an entirely residential area? That is not, it doesn't have any commercial uses nearby. You give them the opportunity to turn run, convert to geo because it's less expensive and when you come back to it and some of the tax, we can combined some of those homes together. But that doesn't matter the individual use works just as well as the communal use.
[BARRETT:] All right. But it's probably be financed differently.
[SMITH:] It would be financed differently. I agree.
[BARRETT:] And it would be it could be expensive for the individual user. Well, right now with3159 with the tripling of the price of natural gas. Uh, it's really questionable about that. The truth of that statement.
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Okay, thank you. I are there additional the panels.
Thank you all very much. We're now down to our last panel on this particular legislation and we've got that Caitlin Sloan of Clf catholic Kristoffersen of planned Mark Sandino a Lexington resident. I know a select person. Uh, and I assumed Sharon DeVos and mothers out front Cambridge and daddy Melnikoff. This is I assume this is a five person panel and I welcome I welcome you to testify.
Thank you Senator Barrett. I believe it's just the first three for this panel but very good. Sorry about that.
[CAITLIN PEALE SLOAN:] [HB3298] [SB2148] Thank you. So thank you again to chair barrett. Chair Roy and members of the committee for holding this hearing and having me speak my name is Kaitlin Pearson and I'm the vice president for massachusetts at Conservation law Foundation and I'm testifying in support of the future of heat bill age 30 to 98 S 21 48 my fellow presenters on the future of heat have provided exhaustive detail on the need to transition are building heat systems off of fossil fuels. I'm here today echo that call and to ensure that this committee understands that legislative action is truly needed this session and will be needed in future sessions regardless of the fact that E. A. Is also considering the future of heat.
In DPU Docket 2080 The attorney general opened that docket essentially by petitioning the DPU in 2020 to investigate how the gas industry will transition to a decarbonization future by 2050. Unfortunately, the DPU has put the gas utilities in charge of the first round of this proceeding,3278 Even the best possible outcome that might be salvaged uh in the future from this this dock. It will take years to bear fruit. So the future of heat bills near term common sense measures like authorizing and not requiring gas utilities to do more geo grid projects3294 would be a compliment to 2080 not a conflict. E is extensive road map study found that even in a 2050 scenario where so called decarbonization, piped gas um Moore from that. More on that from my the following presenter and the gas distribution system are still major players, we will still need massive electrification of buildings.
Current laws are not enough to move us in this direction. So this committee should be laser focused on the problem of path dependency. It's much harder to change full heating systems and buildings than to change the kind of fuel being piped through existing systems. And the gas utilities of major motivations to resist electrification. In addition to the fact that they're not allowed by law to participate in electrification right now, other than in certain pilot circumstances every day that we delay changes to the system of laws that govern our gas utilities, our ability to transition to a cleaner, healthier and safer system gets harder and more expensive. Thank you. Sure.
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Thank you very much Caitlin. And we3355 want to hear from Kathy Christofferson a plan is a new acronym for me.
[CATHY KRISTOFFERSON:] [HB3298] [SB2148] Maybe she can explain it. Sure, good afternoon chairs, Barrett and Roy and members of the tea louis, I'm Kathy Kristoffersen um of the pipeline awareness network for the Northeast. I'm here today to testify for the future of the act. Specifically, I would like to testify that hydrogen as a replacement for or is blended into the gas system is not the safe, clean, affordable equitable future of heat that we seek as rep Ehrlich mentioned that the opening first, I have to say that truly green hydrogen can help us achieve our overall climate goals, but not as gas in the pipelines and you can ask any chemical engineer or expert on hydro hydrogen and you'll hear what professors Howard and Jacobson proved in3405 their recent peer reviewed paper how green is blue hydrogen that piping3409 and heating with hydrogen is not a viable solution for decarbonization the building sector.
The facts are overwhelmingly3417 against it. So I would I testify about hydrogen for heating here today? We'll our massachusetts, gas companies like utilities in the industry worldwide are pushing hard for hydrogen. It's their ticket to business as usual. Something's about that concern me Uh, include what Caitlyn was just mentioning about the 2080 process which clearly illustrates decarbonization fuels are central to the gas utility future plans. The process stakeholders asked for technical session to discuss hydrogen3450 but were only given a presentation called decarbonization Energy systems hydrogen potential role with no discussion allowed one slide that was entitled challenges and R and D needs included a bullet overcome technical barriers to using gas infrastructure for hydrogen, transportation and delivery. Another bullet was modify equipment appliances, processes for the use of hydrogen as an energy source, but no solutions or time frames were given for these monuments. Mental problems because we know there aren't easy or inexpensive solutions.
I am also concerned about every source recently filing their Columbia gas systems safety assessment with the DPU revealing it to be a quote high risk asset with critical condition design and process deficiencies along with a proposed $860 million capital budget. Imagine sending a leakier, more highly explosive gas through the distribution systems in their Springfield brockton and Lawrence territories worse imagine the money being poured into shoring up the gas system for combusting a different fuel. Never mind the proposed expansions that were within that assessment and I'm concerned about federal legislation pending which defines clean hydrogen is made from fossil fuels. Senator Warren and Markey raised the alarm about that a few days ago, decarbonization, gas ideas like hydrogen and orangey blending our schemes to entrench the gas pipeline systems and derail electrification and other clean solutions ready to go3540 Now. As you've heard already today, we cannot let that happen. We ask that you report out favorably the Future of Heat Act and thank you for listening to my concerns. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much. Mr Kristoffersen. Um could we hear from from Mark Sanden?
[MARK SANDEEN (LEXINGTON SELECT BOARD/MASS SOLAR):] [HB3298] [SB2148] Yes, thank you. Chair Barrett, Chair Roy and honourable members of the tuc. My name is Mark Sandino. Lexington Select board member and President of Mass Solar. I'm speaking today in support of H 3298 S 2148 future of heat on behalf of the gas leaks allies. I'll focus on why the legislature should guide the commonwealth gas transition. Lexington select board sent a letter to the DPU on dock at 2080 almost a year ago emphasizing the urgency of Lexington's commitment to transition all residential, commercial and municipal buildings to 100% renewable energy while recognizing that this transition will have profound impacts on the gas distribution system. The Select board requested that the DPU conduct a detailed analysis of the current and future natural gas costs focusing on ratepayer protection, equity and fairness. Consider the potential for stranded assets and the G. CEP program and consider innovative strategies like a transition to network geothermal systems and to their credit.
The DPU kicked off a process to analyze several gas transition scenarios and has published the assumptions on which those analyses will be based. Unfortunately, many of the key assumptions being used in the DPU 2080 analysis do not do not reflect today's realities. For example, natural gas supply prices. E three, the consultant for the LDCS assumes $3 Henry hub and $3.60 Algonquin City Gate prices and expects those natural gas prices to decline 12% in the next year. They assume that natural gas prices will not exceed3654 $5 for the next 30 years. In actuality, the Henry hub price was $5.16 in september and $5.66 last week. And ferc expects that the Algonquin City gate price will be $18 this winter compared to $4.20 last year. He threes assumptions do not account for natural gas price, volatility, which has dramatic impacts3679 and effects on the most vulnerable and could lead to further bankruptcies.
E three also does not include gas leaks or the impact of the G. Step program, which could easily double distribution rates over the next 10 to 15 years and today's hydrogen costs are 122 $150 or about 4 to 5 times higher than the threes current assumptions for hydrogen. So, any modeled scenario should reflect the basic laws of chemistry and thermodynamics that require that electricity will always be lower costs than green hydrogen.3709 So, E three has made many other assumptions regarding gas power plants and heat pumps that do not reflect current market reality or trends. These assumptions are a mirage, a false and desperate hope that would leave us stranded in3723 an energy desert. It's time to turn assets. Stranding assumptions into transformational plans that will put us on the pathway to the future of heat that is clean, affordable, healthy and sustainable. The future of heat should be guided by your legislative leadership. The gas leaks allies report, request that you report age 3298 S 2148 favorably out of committee respectfully and thank you so much for your leadership and this committee's leadership.
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Uh, thank you very much Mr Sandon, Are there questions of this panel?
[BARRETT:] I I do have one.3760 Um uh, and I'm thinking about Miss Kristofferson's testimony and and the implications that perhaps committee members should draw from it and that's that there is no way to repurpose the natural gas infrastructure currently in the ground. It cannot and we've heard this in the past. Transport even truly green hydrogen and we've already heard as well that there would be new piping infrastructure required to support whether it's horizontal or vertical to support district heating systems. So there is no repurposing of the current natural gas pipes. Am I right about that or,3799 or wrong in your, in your opinions?
[KRISTOFFERSON:] I should say with all of the shaking. Yes, heads, I would say that is3811 correct.3811
[BARRETT:] And may I ask the question then and of all three of you and I'm3816 thinking about the point, Mark made in particular, truly green hydrogen created by renewable energy, presumably offshore wind. Leaving aside the question of cost and I don't leave it aside very often, I have questions about cost effectiveness for all these possibilities, but leaving aside questions of cost is truly green hydrogen. Um, a possibility that could be a part of a green energy future.
[SANDEEN:] Absolutely. It's something that you need to think about the where you use it. And as Kathy has suggested, it probably doesn't make sense in a heating system. When you look at the, the, there's a technology ladder for hydrogen, A B C D E F ratings3870 for where you should use hydrogen using hydrogen to heat buildings is somewhere along the lines of f whereas for fertilizer and for long distance air transportation, there's be up near the A's and B's and so yes, there is definitely a3886 reason to do green hydrogen and there will be applications where it is appropriate. However, if you take electricity, which is going to cost twice half the cost of green green hydrogen in the best possible case and then you run it through a heat pump, you're going to find that the costs are significantly lower for our ratepayers
[SLOAN:] and if I could jump in um Chairman Barrett the something to keep in mind that I think Kathy touched on is that hydrogen is still something that you have to combust in most of those rosy view scenarios of hydrogen in buildings and still gives off really nasty and health impacting pollutants. And so I would really challenge the committee to be looking at getting away from combustion in buildings altogether. Um, not just focusing on what the particular fuel is.
[BARRETT:] So you're talking about forms of hydrogen for purposes of simplicity here that are not known as green.
[KRISTOFFERSON:] Well, when you can bust it, go ahead Kathy No, no, Yeah, I didn't mean to cut you off. It isn't can you could store the offshore wind in a hydrogen fuel cell and use it to smooth out the intermittent see of solar and wind in the daytime. Right? So that they are not combusting it and you're not turning it get into hydrogen gas and then blending it into the pipeline? You're using it like a battery.
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Very good. Thank you. That's a good clarification. Well, thank you all terrific. Are there additional questions
back to muted yourself, senator
the
again, thank you very much for testifying before us. Thank you. We appreciate it. We want to hear from Sharon DeVos of mothers out front Cambridge and daddy melt on the Cassidy if there if there with us.
If not I we're going to move on to to an act relative to eliminating gas leaks. But I do want to ask whether there's anyone else who wishes to be heard for for three minutes. Don't jump at the opportunity but anyone else who wishes to be heard for three minutes on4047 this prior question when we've been addressing now about the future of heat4053 legislation.
If not we want to thank everyone. Somebody did a quite a job4060 organizing the prior eight panels are ISIS. I have some suspects in mind and I want to thank them for having done a stellar job. Thank you.
[BARRETT:] Okay, why don't we move on to s rather H 3354 S 2179. An act relative to eliminating gas leaks
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? I believe that there are a series o there are panels here. Excuse me Ed will Nathan phillips and bob actually are constitute panel number one and we would like to hear from them on an act relative to eliminating gas leaks and needless to say we would like to hear how this particular proposed statute.
It would easily be reconciled and integrated with the testimony that we've just heard with respect to4110 the other bill.
Do you want to begin? Thank you. Can you hear me?
[ED WOLL:] [HB3354] [SB2179] Yes. Okay great thank you senator4123 and thank you. Chair Barrett, chair Roy and vice chairs pacheco and Mark and the members of the joint committee for this opportunity to testify in the wholehearted support of the act relative to eliminating gas leaks. Has 2179 H 3354. My name is Edward Wall. I live in Somerville massachusetts. I'm here as a parent of to a grandparent of three as well as an original member of the gastric allies and for the legislative and research teams of elders. Climate action. I'm also a customer of ever source gas in the process of trying to replace gas in our home in Somerville with other unit owners. We are truly anxious about continuing the use of gas. My particular focus here is on the fact that we will continue to use the current gas distribution system with the inherent danger it poses to public health and safety. As gas companies, homeowners and building owners transition to heating and cooling not4182 with gas but with clean, not a meeting, renewable thermal energy and other clean energy sources.
In other words, heat pumps are not the only solution to this problem. And as the price of gas goes up and the price of electricity goes down, Other means, such as even electric boilers will become feasible at some future time. The purpose of these two bills is to close the gaps and safety practices and also management, communication and coordination that was so tragically revealed in4212 Merrimack Valley now, three years ago, these bills address the utility shortcomings in order to triage the risks and eliminate the worst leaks in the transition from the existing crumbling gas distribution system with its incessant recurring methane leaks and not to replace those pipes. The bill is specifics that others will speak to a more detail address, locating, repairing and making accessible the many nonworking paved over or lost critical valves4242 that played such a critical and tragic role in Merrimack Valley to improving the lack of communication and coordination with local municipal officials, fire departments and law enforcement three addressing the proliferation of gas winter gas4257 leaks for protecting crees now clearly regarded as critical climate infrastructure which continue to be killed by methane leaks.
Five prioritizing for our immediate repair, significant environmental leaks which are estimated to be responsible for 50% of all league volume and six public health as well as public safety and meeting the commission's limits mandated by the Global Warming Solutions Act. This triage of addressing safety risks to person and property dovetails of the future of heat bill that facilitates the transition off gas with non emitting renewable thermal energy. As a result of your consideration of the testimony provided today, both oral and written we with my family commend the bill to you and ask that you reported out of committee. I'd like to make a couple of other comments in the sense that we talked about earlier electrifying Holmes If you take the homes that now have 60 AMP service and no insulation if you upgrade that service and insulate those Holmes you will reduce the energy usage of those homes by one half to two thirds. That is critical to4326 go ahead and that's mainly the4328 in the environmental community, environmental justice communities. Uh, thank you very much for listening to me and I condemn this bill to you.
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Thank you very much. Ed Nathan Philips Hello, Right.
[NATHAN PHILLIPS:] [HB3354] [SB2179] Hi Chair Barrett chair Roy and other members of the joint committee. Thank you for the opportunity to submit this testimony in support of an act relative to eliminating gas leaks. S 21 79. H 33 54. My name is Nathan Philips I live in Newton massachusetts on the parent of two and a gas customer of national grid. I'm also a scientist at boston University and partnered with gas safety inc and others to lead the first study of its kind. In 2000 and 13, documenting over 3300 methane leaks from gas pipelines in the city of boston. Subsequently, our research has shown that the problem of methane leaks from distribution pipelines is widespread across massachusetts and the eastern U. S.
These leaks present potentially potential safety hazards, degrade air quality to kill trees, damaged the climate and waste ratepayer money As we saw in the Merrimack Valley Gas Disaster three years ago, our aging gas pipeline infrastructure is also vulnerable to catastrophic single point failures, a follow up 2000 and 16 paper led by Dr Margaret Hendricks showed a path forward to address4411 our gas system problems strategically and cost effectively. We call it triage and transition. We found that only 7% of the leaks account for 50% of the leaked gas safely patching leaks or triaging this system. Instead of replacing pipes and rebuilding the gas system allows us to cost effectively transition to cleaner, safer ways to heat our homes and buildings. We can patch all the leaks in massachusetts for less than a billion dollars Whereas replacing our Leak Prone pipe will cost ratepayers approximately $20 billion. According to a recent study by Dr. Dorry. CV of the gastric allies.
An act relative to eliminating gas leaks contains essential provisions that allow us to safely triage gas system allowing us to4458 allocate resources to the transition to electric based heating systems which are the focus of the complementary future of heat bill. Also which we heard today. The triage provisions in this bill are numerous and although I won't enumerate them here in each one of them, I can recall specific examples from being on the streets where they would have prevented serious safety hazards as a key example of the essential and pressing safety issues this act will address a recent analysis by gas leaks. Ally League Humphrey revealed that in the boston gas Service territory, 11% of Class one hazardous leaks reported over the last three years were not fixed within three days. 10 days and three of those patterns. This leaks were left unrepaired for more than 90 days. This act is urgently needed to address these and other existing safety risks as we transition to safer heating systems which also address our climate obligations under the road map law. Thank you for considering my testimony and reporting this bill favorably out of committee. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you sir. Mr. Ackley.
Um, you did. Mr. Actually, here we go.
[BOB ACKLEY] [HB3354] [SB2179] Hey, thanks. Hi everybody. I just want to say thank you for so many for coming out and testifying in so much new research out there in so many people working4546 in so many areas. So thank you. Uh so chair barrett, chair Roy and uh, the rest of the committee, I'm in support of that relative eliminating gas leaks. Uh, 2179 And uh, house 3354. Um I left4565 the gas industry in 2006 informed gas safety inc And there were two4570 things that I was trying to do. Um and really it's really great to see this all the news coming out, one which to alert people that there were gas leaks inside their homes that might have been affecting their health. And I sent out um I live in South bro, and Sudbury is a town with a ton of gas leaks and I sent out fliers to every home in Sudbury loaded with doctors and lawyers and scientists and really smart people and nobody really responded and I hit him again two or three times and I really got no response because nobody was really interested about gas leaks inside Holmes So this is very interesting now that we have these developments now about gas leaks and Holmes and for health and for emissions.
So this is nothing new. The other mission I had was to protect trees from gas leaks and she's, I trained well over 100 personnel in the gas industry to find leaks and I was trained to find gas leaks by looking at grass and trees and shrubs. So this legislation um, addresses these gas leaks that are affecting trees. So we've known for well over 100 years have been court cases back in from the 20s and 30s. So right now this is really important to give the, the barbarous the teeth that they need. The city tree wardens to say, hey, let's fix these leaks, stopped planting and gas4657 leaks. Save these trees. If anybody wants to see a tree that's getting gas outside the4663 Taj, I still called the Ritz Carlton to uh, commonwealth ave it's the one section of main, they didn't replace in there and is still one of the ancient elms out there. That's getting killed by gas. So it could take a look. Um, we can, we can do that. Now.
The other thing that we've really migrated into is Nathan alluded to is the studies that we've done About the super emitters and our research with Dr. Margaret hendricks shows that we can easily cut these emissions by 50% by repairing just 7% of the leaks. And the gas company has not had time to implement this program due to Covid and I'll tell you the main replacement program doesn't get to all the leaks there. Just looking at their really afraid of the small diameter cast iron and when areas were redeveloped so they weren't really eliminating a lot of leaks with the pipeline replacement program, they were eliminating leak prone pipe. So this is very important to understand why these emissions numbers may not have come down because you know, looking at what4726 the repair rates were. So to triage system, another thing that's come out is this wonderful equipment to monitor these horrible pipes and this is in the legislation.
We can we can go out with the spectrometers today and survey the system very very quickly and find these uh gas leaks. And once they're all G. I. S. The gas industry can notice a new4751 leak right away and we can size all these leaks using our leak extent4755 method and attack these 7% every year. So uh you know, it's somewhat my testimony in the triage transition targeting the small diameter cast iron pipes and this bare steel is very important. Two to replace4772 this stuff. Senator barrett was asking about this and we come up with metrics include building density age of pipe and crack experience on the cast iron. It's very important how many cracks as it had Fixing leaks around trees is a no brainer. I've been on this since 2006. Please stop letting the gas company kill4795 trees. They can just fix the leaks. It's five grandly called five grand a week. Now
are there questions of our panel? Thanks a bunch, appreciate it,
[BARRETT:] bob. Are you unnatural guests today?
[ACKLEY:] No, I'm not. I'm out in south. Well, I won't have gas on my4820 street.
[BARRETT:] Okay. Mr wool and Mr Phelps both described themselves as as customers of the natural gas system. Just and that raises the question about why given your your passion and your commitment and your activity, you're still on natural gas. And I assume that the stories are quite specific, but I'm interested in hearing brief versions of4844 them. Why are you still using gas?
[WOLL:] Um, if you like me to answer Senator, um, we're trying to get off it right now. We are looking at electrifying the new home in Somerville with a combination of electric hot water system, a solar and mini splits and for the balance to turn to an electric boiler to heat a water baseboard hot water system when our hold home. And uh in Cambridge was a three unit condominium. We needed consensus among all three of us, but my wife and I moved to an induction stove to replace the gas and we put in a hot water, a heat pump system, non gas electric heat pump system to take care of the hot water. But we're still stuck with the gas4899 heating system mainly because we had an old house without insulation and we had leaks and to put insulation in a house with leaks would resent result with mold in the system. So we had to go ahead and go ahead and do that.
[BARRETT:] The ballpark dollar cost that it might take. That caused you to hesitate because I assume there was a financial consideration to those are financial considerations.
[WOLL:] Also, if we had consensus with4928 the other unit holders, we would have done it. Uh, just to get off gas. I'm anxious about gas. I think about what happened in Merrimack Valley. I don't have their experience, but I can stand in their shoes and feel what fear they4944 have going into their houses right now.
[BARRETT:] Thank you know, I just wanted, it must be a dollar cost. Um,4951 well Nathan, what about you? Why are you still on gas?
[PHILLIPS:] Well, we're doing what we can to transition off gas. So we're right in the middle of that process, we got electric air source heat pumps last year. Very happy with that. We're not totally off gas with our hot water yet, but we're moving in4969 that direction and I guess I would just say that I feel Khan common cause with all ratepayers and it's helping me to understand what all gas customers are going through as we make that transition together. Thank you.
[BARRETT:] Are you both? And you mentioned condo association. So that that, that raises a layer of difficulty. We haven't considered for urban areas where group decision4989 making is key to making financial investments. This is true for a significant percentage of urban dwellers and4997 how are we going to handle the condo association? Um,5001 paralysis5001 that we hear about so often.
[WOLL:] I think the same way that you can handle large landowners of buildings, you create tax credits for them to go ahead and transition off. It's not out of cash, but you use the tax system, let them do that with respect to landowners. You provide the tax credits to move whole banks of buildings off and but you also have to restrict them from the environmental justice. Environmental justice communities from raising the rent as a result of getting the improvement in the market value of the property as a result of using tax dollars. So it's a difficult issue. But most of the environmental justice communities are renters. And so tax credits are a great device to go ahead and be able to do that.
[BARRETT:] Tax credits5047 for the renters, what if their incomes are modest and the tax break as a consequences and very incentivizing, but you give the landlord the tax credits. They can use the tax credits. Landlords don't pass on a higher rental onto the tenants to do that. That's a built in. It's a tried and true system to use. Um, as far as, uh, we don't have a condo in some of them. We have a cooperative, so we can have, we have three of the so many, three of the six who are willing to go ahead and work together on doing this. Um, and so we're right now talking to a bunch of vendors and we have a meeting on Wednesday with a plumber.
[BARRETT:] You've got three, you haven't bought in yet and we have three that have not bought in yet, but we expect that we have four, maybe five. So we'll see Nathan. Did you want to add something?
[PHILLIPS:] No. Just in a different situation where homeowners in a small single family detached house,
[BARRETT:] I only asked the question of the two of you because I want whatever we do as a legislature to be reasonably responsive to the plight of tenants, landlords, but also single family homeowners or condo owners and heads case. And I think there's some complexities presented in5127 each particular situation that we need to address
[WOLL:] and mass save is critical because5134 massive doesn't allow, doesn't5135 provide the financial flexibility to moving5137 off a gas appliance to a non gas appliance. And you and I have talked about this before. It's critical and your legislation last year to include the social cost of gas to be included in their cost benefit relationship with is a very good step forward.
[BARRETT:] And as you know, the new three year plan, EAC just approved anticipates moving to electric even with gas systems, although we need to interrogate that careful
[WOLL:] and under the leadership of mary Wambui who ended up their environmental justice section to do5171 that. She is very creative and very tenacious and is very focused on solving the rental problem.
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Thank you folks. And I want to thank this panel very much and Introduce if I might panel number two, which5183 is at least only David McCullough. Emily, Norton Claire Corcoran.
Okay,
good afternoon. Chairman Barrett. Can you hear me? Yes.
[LISA OLNEY (WELLSELY SELECT BOARD):] [HB3354] [SB2179] Um, so good afternoon. And to5202 Chairman Roy as well and the other members5204 of the tea we and, and thank you so much for the opportunity to testify in support of the act relative to eliminating gas leaks. My name is lisa all knee and I'm a vice and I'm the vice chair of the Wellesley select board. Our board recently voted unanimously to support and advocate for this bill and I'm here today to highlight just a few reasons why. First, this bill would create better coordination between municipalities and the gas companies and give municipalities a stronger voice in DPU proceedings for the past three years. Wellesley has joined other towns in uh, national grid territory to coordinate the multi town gas leaks initiative with the metropolitan area planning council mothers out front and heat. Our goal has been to work with national grid to accelerate leak repair.
And while that goal has eluded us, our work has resulted in some provisions in this bill that called for stronger and more transparent relationships between municipalities and gas companies, better data collection, better information sharing all of which we sorely need. Second, this bill would help save our trees. Wellesley estimates that it has lost dozens of public shade trees to gas leaks. And we know from the multi town gas leaks initiative that many other towns have also,5289 we're spending thousands of dollars every year to maintain and replant trees while gas leaks are slowly suffocating their roots. In one case a dead tree in Wellesley was removed and we measured a gas leak coming right up through the stump. This bill requires that gas leaks in the root zone of a tree must be fixed within six months. Third, this bill provides a way forward that does not rely on our crumbling5316 gas system. National Grid reported 201 leaks in Wellesley back in 2015 And at5323 the end of 2020, Wellesley had 250 leaks, including 30 high volume, significant environmental impact leaks.
These leaks make it impossible for us to meet our town goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions goals that match the ones you set this year and the excellent next generation roadmap. This bill as which as with the future of heat bill contains a provision that would allow us to start building a future without gas. By permitting gas companies to distribute renewable thermal energy, municipalities are recognizing the urgent need for a utility scale solution that allows equitable, affordable access to renewable thermal energy and a livable future for all our communities. But we do not have the jurisdiction or the resources to create that solution. We are grateful for your leadership and for your attention to what comes next. Thank you very much. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you Elise. Uh, we look forward to hearing from david Mitchell. Um,
yes.
[DAVID MESHOULAM (SPEAK FOR TREES):] [HB3354] [SB2179] Hello. Um, thank you for having me today. Um, my name. Thank you for inviting me to speak on S 2179 in H 3354 relatives eliminating gas leaks. My name is David Meshulam and I am co founder and executive director. I'll speak for the trees boston. We are an urban forestry nonprofit, not speak for the trees. We focus on tree equity, the idea that everyone, no matter there's a code race or income deserves the economic health, social, environmental and mental benefits provided by trees. Trees are having their moment in the sun cities, states and nations are recognizing trees as more than just pretty things to look at during hot summer days or neighborhoods of budding highways. Trees can5442 be the difference between life and death.
They're critical asset that clean our air cooler Holmes improve our mood, reduce our energy burden. Unfortunately in cities they are often neglected. I'm here to briefly discuss the provisions of this bill that relates to the harm caused by gas leaks to trees. Since our founding back in 2018, I had the distinct honor of learning from many of the world class scientists who have testified today before me through their research. We better understand the harm that gas leaks caused the trees. Now we all know that trees produce oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. The trees also respirator process that requires oxygen and because trees lack of circulatory system, they absorb oxygen from their surroundings. Methane from gas leaks displaces oxygen from the soil and the roots system extending many feet beyond the trunk is no longer able to breathe. These routes are choked and the tree slowly dies.
Researchers recently in Chelsea massachusetts demonstrated how viability of trees was reduced in tree wells with gas leaks. So this bill protects trees by transforming how we think about and value trees. First, it defines how to measure the area that should be protected from gas leaks, what we call the critical root zone Second, it classifies leaks that harm trees as Class two leaks instead of Class three leaks and we're just as the amount of time to fix these leaks from 12 to 6 months. And finally it produces a much needed mechanism for which claims5534 can be made against gas companies for harming trees as we sit here today, I want to remind us that world leaders across the globe are in Glasgow working to save our climate won. That we see is getting hotter and less habitable every day. And earlier this morning, they pledged to ambitious climate goals that I think are uh germane to our conversation today. First, they promised to end deforestation by 2030 and second.
They promised to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030 today, Right here in this room, we can help achieve both these goals. Trees have faced long and hard challenges in our cities, from car pollution to salt to compact soil. City life is hard now we've discovered. Thanks to research by Professor Philips and others that gas leaks are killing these trees to yet. The more urban area, the more trees are needed to provide benefits to residents. Considering the value that these trees bring to some of the commonwealth most vulnerable communities. It is time that we better protect and care for them so they can protect and care for us. I kindly suggest and recommend and request that you report? S 21 79 favorably out of committee. Thank you. Thank you, David, Emily Norton. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
We can return to Emily in a moment, Claire Corcoran.
Um Hi, I apologize, my camera is not working today. Um is this Emily? No, this is Claire Corcoran.5641 Hi Claire. Okay, but we can hear you okay.
[CLAIRE CORCORAN:] [HB3354] [SB2179] Uh Good afternoon Chair Roy chair Barrett. Vice Chair, Mark, Vice chair Pacheco and members of the joint committee. Thank you for the opportunity to submit this testimony in support of an act relative to eliminating gas leaks S 2179 by senator. Barry are finegold and H 3354 by representatives frank a Moran and Christina a Minicucci My name is Claire Corcoran and I'm testifying as an advocate with mothers out front boston our local team in a growing movement of caregivers working for a swift and just transition to a livable climate for all.
I also chair the gas leaks Allies Tree working group bringing my expertise in forestry5691 and as a certified arborist to bear on how to prevent gas leaks from damaging trees. I'm pleased that this bill increases protection of trees from the suffocating effects of gas leaks in the critical root zone by requiring them to be upgraded in importance To Grade II and fixed within six months. People don't often think about preserving street trees as a safety issue But to large trees documented to have been growing in a gas leak came crashing down at the entrance to the hurly K through eight public school in the south end in 2018. I included a photograph of this in my written testimony.
While three protections alone make this a bill worth supporting. I'm here to support the bill for its full suite of safety provisions. The importance of this came home to me along with so many of us in the days and months following the Merrimack Valley gas disaster when a single point failure in the gas system plunged over 8300 households into polled, destroyed dozens of homes5756 and took5757 the life of Leon Elrond in with mothers out front and the gastric allies. I mobilized to deliver temporary cooking relief to residents and in my visits saw the dangerous consequences of risky gas infrastructure firsthand.
This bill has several specific provision which will help prevent a tragedy like the Merrimack Valley gas disaster, including requiring critical shut off valves to be working accessible and located by GPS requiring a control room with within a gas service territory to monitor pipeline pressure and requiring gas companies to be audited annually for safety performance5799 and leak reports. An act relative to eliminating gas leaks will empower municipalities first responders. Gas companies arborists and advocates to work together to triage are aging gas infrastructure while we all work to transition to inherently safer and climate beneficial heating and cooling infrastructure for these reasons, I urge your support to pass this5823 bill favorably out of committee.
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Thank you. Thank you very much. Is Emily Norton with us.
Uh, if not, I want to ask whether members of the committee have a question of this panel.
[BARRETT:] I do have one. I want to confess that5846 this bill and the last two panels um, cause me some discomfort because I see direct conflict between the testimony and the prior bill and the work of researchers like Dorie Seavey on the one hand and this legislation, the thrust of the CB analysis is that we have to5869 address fewer pieces of pipe because it's a,5875 it's an endless sink and we're merely running in place. So we've got to back away. Uh, and as you guys know, we started out the GSEP program addressing safety issues extended it I think in 2016 to also include the super emitters. You're now asking us to extend the universe of class two and Class one leaks to include the leaks that are killing trees even if they are not threats to public safety and even when they are not super emitters, I'm assuming there's some overlap with super emission and with safety but that it's an imperfect overlap and so fundamentally you're asking us to define more pipes for repair and replacing. Whereas all the prior witnesses have begged us to finally stop chasing our tails on this question. We always do it for good reasons but finally stopped putting more and more pipes into priority status and instead working to walk away from the system. I don't know how to reconcile your5937 requests of us with the weight of testimony on the prior bill. Can you attempt to help out me and members of the committee briefly,
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you're on your own muted.
[WOLL:] I may speak to that senator. We don't see a distinction5963 between the priorities of the future of heat bill and what we're trying to do this bill, the gasoline.
[BARRETT:] But I do. That's my point. I see a conflict.
[WOLL:] We see a prioritization where the prioritization is to transition off gas as soon as possible. But in the meantime, take take care of the most serious leaks. The trees come in because they end up uh, solving hotspots in cities. They have a definite beneficial environmental effects in certain areas and only to repair leaks not to replace pipes. So the trees are, are confined local areas which destroy property, caused damage and car and expense to municipalities which can be attended to by focusing on those focus. In fact,6017 historically one of the ways the gas companies found leaks as they shift, saw which trees were being, were being killed. So it doesn't affect all trees, but trees are valuable Piece of climate infrastructure and they last for 2030, 40 years. So to preserve them for the next couple of years keeps them for being climate and first over the long time, so they're isolated and they just ask them to give them something.
[BARRETT:] You make a compelling case. But as I say, we've got to invest more money now and repairing pipes rather than less money. Moore become priorities rather than fewer. There is some question about whether I hope we can move to repairing instead of replacing. But fundamental. You're creating a dilemma for us because we're supposed to be walking away from this system.
[WOLL:] I agree that we should and that's part of the prioritization and triage going ahead and taking the most important functions first. And it's a it's a it's a decision that you try to impress upon the gas companies to do in respect.
[BARRETT:] Now. I understand but this is the opposite of triage, triaging is narrowing your targets, this is expanding them.
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Um Any other comments?
Yes, Nathan?
[PHILLIPS:] Yes.6096 So even if we repaired every one of the 16,000 or so leaks across across the Commonwealth that would cost less than a billion dollars. Whereas to do the replacement as Dr CB has shown would cost about 20 billion. So adding the trees is not going to set us back anywhere near going full forward with the GSEP for pipe replacement would
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thank you know I I hear I hear you.
Well I want to thank this panel for testifying and um
[CORCORAN:] Oh sure this is Claire Corcoran. I also want to point out that the bill provides a mechanism for Towns to file claims for their lost property when they plant trees in tree pits that have gas leaks in them and then the trees die. And then the town re plants, you know two years later and the trees die each time it costs $5 $500 or so. Um So this would provide a mechanism for those towns to file claims to be reimbursed for those lost investments.
[BARRETT:] Thank you Claire. Good point. Well, I want to thank you all for testifying and I hope you'll continue to help us reconcile what I do view as as some conflicting priorities here. Uh we obviously want to come out with the balance and equilibrium. That's perfect if we can do it. So thank you very much. I'm going to have to depart the hearing by prior arrangement, Chair Roy has graciously6193 agreed to take over. I've got a five o'clock meeting on the6197 Senate's budgeting of Arpa monies that I need to go to. So I'm going to introduce Representative Roy at this time. I6205 know we're transitioning into consideration of H 3351 and S 2173. An act to6211 ensure safety and transparency and pipeline repair.
[REP ROY:] Mr Chairman, thank you very much for taking over for me. Oh, it's my pleasure and I wish you well in your meeting and spend the money wisely please. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Uh, so uh next witness up to testify is frank Callaghan uh frank the floor is yours.
[FRANK CALLAHAN (MASS BUILDING TRADES COUNCIL):] [HB3351] [SB2173] Thank you. Mr Chairman members of the committee for the record. My name6243 is frank Callaghan and I'm the president of the massachusetts building trades council. We represent 75,000 men and women who6248 work in the construction industry all across the Commonwealth. I'm here today to testify in support Of House 3351 and Senate 2173 An Act to ensure safety and transparency and pipeline repair. And I would like to begin6263 by referencing a statement made by former speaker of the House bob Calio during the national grid lock out. At that time. The speaker referred to the special status given to utility companies by the commonwealth and granting them what he referred to at that time is essentially territorial monopolies. He went on to say that those companies bear implicit responsibilities because of their special status conferred upon them. The legislation before you today would do two things.
First, it would require the Department of Public utilities on the Chapter 38 in consultation with all gas and electric utilities to promulgate rules and regulations for the training and implementation of the certification program for contractors and their employees repairing a performing work on gas infrastructure in the commonwealth. And second, it would place the repair and replacement of the pipelines not performed by their own employees. This is when they would contract it out under the commonwealth competitive bid laws and prevailing wage laws. Chapter 1 49 Section 26 or 27 after prevailing wage and uh section 39 M of Chapter 30 for the Battlers. Uh As you are aware, there are currently seven natural gas companies in the commonwealth with different territorial jurisdictions and each company has their own training model and requirements for contracts to bid in their respective areas while the workers are required to meet federal training requirements.
Each company has the authority and exercise the authority to establish company training models as they see fit, creating discrepancies between the6358 companies. These varying models and requirements make it difficult to ensure that everyone who is working on the pipelines has the training knowledge and expertise necessary to perform network safely to avoid putting the public and themselves at risk. And uh, in terms of the bidding currently, when a company decides not to use its own workforce and subcontract that work out, it does not go out to public6384 bid and it's not transparent. This creates a lack of transparency for all the bidders and decreases competition between contractors and those costs are6394 ultimately passed on to6395 the ratepayers.
We believe that should be uh more transparent available to the public and you get a better product in a better price. And just lastly in relation to the prevailing wage requirements. Something if you're not familiar with the prevailing wage, it's important to note that it requires the gas companies to request prevailing wage rate sheets for each municipality, they work in at least once every six months.6420 Uh That's important because the way the prevailing wage law was enforced, if there is no prevailing wage rate sheet, there's nothing to enforce, and at the prevailing wage doesn't get paid to the workers who do that work. So, uh, we asked respectfully ask the committee to give a favorable report, their companion bills, House Bill 33, 51 and Senate Bill 21 736443 and I be happy to work with the committee or answer any questions if they weren't.
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Well,6449 thank you very much for your testimony. Do any members of the committee have any questions for Mr Callahan?
I see none, thank you very much and thank you for your patience and enduring this testimony all day and appreciate you hanging in there. Uh Next witness up is Christopher Carey Christopher you with us. I am thank you. Chairman.
[CHRISTOPHER CAREY (OPERATING ENGINEERS LOCAL 4):] [HB3351] [SB2173]Thank you. Chairman Roy members of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, utility and Energy on behalf of the International Union of Operating Engineers. Local four representing over 5300 members. My name is Christopher Carey the legislative rep for local four the members of the operating engineers are made up of men and women who operate heavy equipment across the commonwealth. I am testifying today on their behalf in support of both house Bill 33 51 and Senate Bill 21 70 to enact to ensure safety and transparency in pipeline repair. The I you only local for fully supports these two bills because they are intended to provide a regulation to a utility that is in desperate need. The commonwealth should demand better transparency for any utility that is tearing apart our public ways in order to repair and replace their pipeline whenever utility company subcontracts a repair or replacement in our public roads of massachusetts.
We should know who is being awarded the work, How much that work costs.6545 What kind of safety safety record do they have and how are they paying their employees? This is this kind of subcontract work is happening all over the state. Okay right now. Local four support supplying prevailing wage laws to any sub contracted gas utility work that's being done in public ways. This work is being done on state and municipal owned and maintained land and should have prevailing wage rates attached to it. Right now We find a lot of inconsistencies in the pay scale and also find a lot of 1099 workers in this particular field. This bill would address address these problems. We feel that if this bill is passed it would provide a safer work environment for those performing the work and also the general public around it. It would also give the commonwealth the necessary information6600 to know who is performing the work in our public ways. I thank you for your time and consideration. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Yeah, Christopher, thank you very much for your testimony. Do any members of the committee have any questions for Mr Carey
I see none. Thank you again. And6621 to you also thank you for hanging in our next witness to testify as Christy lynch chrissy. Are you with us?
[CHRISSY LYNCH (MA AFLCIO):] [HB3351] [SB2173] I am. Thank you Mr chair. Great, nice to see you. The floor is yours. Uh My name is Christy lynch. I'm the chief of staff of the massachusetts A. F. L. C. I. O. We represent thousands of workers who deal with gas on the job and hundreds of thousands of workers who rely on gas to heat their homes. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today in support of bills to make our gas infrastructure safer and more efficient for the workers and the communities they serve. Um, there are several natural gas companies in massachusetts as frank and chris just said they each have their own training curriculum in their own set of bid requirements for contractors. This too often results in very dangerous discrepancies between companies and it really makes it impossible to ensure that gas and pipeline workers have the appropriate training to keep our communities safe. On top of the varying models of training, A natural gas company can decline to use6680 its own workers and instead hire contractors to complete a job.
But as6685 rich and chris said, this work does not even go out to public bid. This creates a shocking lack of transparency and what should be a public process and it decreases competition between contractors really creating a race to the bottom for workers and our communities. H 3351 and S 2173 would require the DPU to promulgate rules and regulations for the training and implementation of a certification program for contractors and their employees repairing or performing work on gas infrastructure. It would also require that gas companies who contract out with gas, their gas infrastructure work must comply with the commonwealth bid and prevailing wage laws. There's a few other bills I wanted to mention as well. H 3296 and S 2177 would enhance safety measures to protect our communities first responders and gas workers by increasing access to Gas gates. A critical part of our gas infrastructure. H 3353 S and S 2176 is also an important and needed legislation that lays out a set of comprehensive safety regulations to ensure the safety of gas workers, our communities and the environment by requiring natural gas companies and the DPU to have more safeguards in place.
Following the Merrimack Valley, a gas explosion we heard about today and other incidents. The legislature enacted new safety measures for gas workers and the general public last session. These bills will build upon that important6772 work and we urge you to report them out of your committee with a favorable report. But we also want to mention that, you know, a just transition to renewable energies from the natural gas infrastructure must be anchored by a strong safety net for workers who are displaced6786 from the traditional energy Industry so that we don't shrink the middle class and are very important efforts to fight climate change to do that. We encourage the full adoption of H 1954 and seven and Senate 1197 and act relative to a just transition to clean energy. And lastly, a just transition to clean energy must also ensure that high road economic development and quality jobs drive our transition to renewable energy. Some of those goals can be achieved through the adoption of H 1955 and S 11 98 and act relative to clean energy workforce standards and accountability. I've also submitted this in writing and thank you all for your public service. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Well, thank you very much for your testimony. You brought it down with 15 seconds left tremendous. Any any questions for many members of the committee for Christy lynch?
I see no questions. I thank you for your testimony and will now move on. We have a panel uh, with john Bwana pain, Kathie lee flash and marty Hernan. So we'll have all three of you testify and then we'll open up, open it up for questions and john do you6865 want to lead us off?
You
are a muted6872 thank
you. Mr Chairman. There you are.
[JOHN BOUNOPANE (UNITED STEELWORKERS):] [HB3351] [SB2173] Thank you. Members of the committee. Um, my name is Jon bon appetit for the record. I am the past president of United Steelworkers Local 12 oh 12. I've been involved with the new England Gas workers um, in massachusetts for years. The new6900 England Gas Workers massachusetts, I'll let one of my co panelists described what that organization6906 is and does, but6907 I've been involved with the gas industry and worked in the gas industry for over 30 years. I'm currently employed as the United Steelworkers. Staff rep. Um, United steelworkers represent hundreds of gas workers in the state of massachusetts that are employed whatever source Berkshire gas and national grid. I'm here to make sure that those employees, um, these gas workers, your constituents have a voice in this process. It's very important. I want to specifically draw your attention to two bills, H3351 and S 2173. An act to ensure safety and transparency and pipeline repair filed by representative frank Moran and Senator Paul Feeney, Representative Moran and Senator Feeney have done exceptional work over the last few years advocating for the improvements for workers and the public.
This bill, these bills would also help to make further changes to an area of our industry that needs much improvement and that's the use of outside contractors, contract workers. And it, I can follow up with specific examples for the committee later on. I don't wanna take up too much time. I know it's getting6988 late, but we do have specific examples that we can provide, but basically the experience and the training that contract workers received can vary significantly, contractors are sometimes only in these roles on a temporary seasonal basis and may not stay long enough to learn all of the skills required to work with this potentially dangerous, dangerous subject substance. Um, again, I could follow up with specific examples at another time. Um, we also wanted to offer comments regarding the future of heat and our peoples part in that future our members demand um because they live in the communities they work in the communities and they literally serve the7042 communities with the type of work they do and they believe we believe that natural gas is a cost effective, efficient, clean and safe energy source when when this is the important word, its utilized and supplied by the right technology and provided with an updated network along with stringent oversight.
And that's something that network has uh followed for years, something that we've done literally, um probably almost every day of our careers. Um gas should and will continue to be part of our regions and energy supply for a long time. I think people understand that, that's that's the reality. Um our workers are obviously eager to learn any new skills that may come with new energy technologies, things like hydrogen are g hybrid gas and electric systems and geothermal geothermal, from what I understand is probably the most um further so long on the drawing table. And that's something we've been following and our members have been following very closely. We want to be a part of that7129 technology moving forward. Um but in general, we want to be part of any new technology system um because it's going to take a long time to do whatever has to be done. I think everybody really understands that if you ask people honestly in order to maintain a safe and efficient natural gas infrastructure needed to deliver heat To the one eight million homes7157 and businesses in massachusetts. It is critical that we also maintained the skilled and qualified workforce for the duration.
Uh, I think everybody understands that are natural gas infrastructure is complex. It has been maintained by us, the gas workers who understand our new England's climate and have the institutional memory of how it actually functions in the field, especially during weather events, cold weather events and we've all experienced that um, this expertise helps preserve the environment, protects ratepayers costs and can save lives and I can provide you a ton of information on that. Um, well I would, I would certainly appreciate that. And if, uh, if you are willing, we would love to get some written testimony with some of those specific examples.
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Um, I know that you went a little bit over the7218 time and I want to, I know you've hung in here, you've been here all day. I appreciate that. And I know I have some other folks who want to testify. So um, if you don't mind, let's let the other folks testify and then we can come back to7233 you at the end. Does that sound?
So next up is Kathie Lee Flash, Thank you Senator, I'm sorry,
[KATHY LAFLASH (UNITED STEELWORKERS] [HB3351] [SB2173] thank you. Chairman Roy and Chairman Barrett and the members of the tv for the opportunity to testify today.7250 My name is Kathy Lee Flash. I serve as the president of the united steelworkers. Well you're 12 of all four and I represent ever source gas workers of Central Mass and metro West. I'm also the president of the new England Gas Workers Alliance that john mentioned. It's an umbrella organisation, normal unions representing hundreds of workers in7270 the natural gas industry across the commonwealth from the berkshires to boston. Um Nickel was formed over 25 years ago to advocate for increased uh catholic and
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I just interrupt you for a second. There seems to be some outside noise coming on and it's uh, it's distracting against your testimony.7290 If anybody is not speaking, could you please mute your microphone until you're ready to speak. Sorry about that Kathy and go right ahead. Thank you.
Thank you. I appreciate that negro was formed to advocate over 25 years ago to for increased safety measures for our members and the general public. I first want7311 to take the opportunity to thank the members of the7314 committee for our gas safety provisions that were included in the climate change legislation that was passed earlier this session. Many of the provisions were taken from7321 age 33 53 act for field safety and gas infrastructure before the committee today. We'd also like to testify in support of age 30-96 an act improving gas safety and excavation filed by Representative Dykema um and Senate 21 77 act relative to natural gas shut off valves, gate boxes and public safety7344 filed by Senator Feeney. The new law includes whistleblower protections for gas company employees to ensure that employees reporting safety concerns are7354 not retaliated against by the company.
It also mandates the DPU to create a publicly accessible database of safety complaints7363 and how they were resolved by the department. It increases the maximum daily and cumulative fines for violation of DPU code pertaining to the safety of pipeline facilities and the transportation of gas. It requires the DPU to promulgate new regulations for the maintenance of maps and records. Proper maintenance of maps and records will be a component of quality7385 metrics and regarding electronic maps typically found in company vehicles. They are critical to the guide and repair and maintenance work of our members performing this on a daily basis and also for the ability of workers to count on7399 the accuracy of readily accessible um maps of pipes and records and key infrastructure points ensuring safe and efficient repair.
Gas workers are frequently confronted by situations where they cannot access maps due to company technology failures putting themselves in the communities at risk. We raised these issues with the committee because the DPU is responsible for implementing these important safety measures, as well as many other elements of this law following the Merrimack Valley and many other incidents around this country. Safety measures such of these past and before the committee today are critical to ensure the safety of our workers and the public at large. Thank you so much and I'd now like to introduce my colleague, marty Hernan.
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Thank you very much. And Markey europe. The floor is yours.
[MARTY HERNON (USW 12003):] [HB3296] [SB2177] Thank you. Chairman7453 Roy for the opportunity to testify today. Um, my name is marty heard in the vice president of USW local 12 double 03 treasurer by nedra And I have 44 years of experience in the national gas industry. Uh, As Kathy said, we want to testify in support of House 3296 act of Putin gas safety and excavations And Senate 2177 and Act7478 relative to natural gas. Shut off down skate blacks in public safety. These bills have the same language, only different titles in this session. This legislation seeks when he has safety measures to protect the general public first responders and our members from dangerous conditions were working with natural gas.
The bill calls for improved access to gas valves, a critical part of our natural gas infrastructure. Gas gates of valves on the gas shutoffs under the street and I found on streets and roadways in cities and towns across massachusetts, the bill is straightforward and a common sense approach to a7517 dangerous problem because for gas valves to be accessible to scenarios where they may be needed to turn off gas and an emergency a well performing a planned excavation,7529 be when using dynamite in close proximity to gas lines. Our workers experience is that oftentimes cascade boxes can be7538 paid over filled with dirt or degree and impossible to access and operate will further repair. Being able to locate and access these gate boxes quickly during emergencies can save lives.
The bill requires that for every preplanned excavation of blasting activity, the gas company must ensure that the there was access to the gate blocks and valve gas rentals are critical points in the pipeline. They shut off the flow of gas on the best means of quickly starting supply in the event of an accident when actually some Wong of pipeline do occur. Gas7573 can ignite and burn out of control for hours. Well on site meetings to rapidly shut off the supply. There are environmental hazards that are necessarily and easily preventable with a proactive maintenance plan, Mariah by our estimates one of these actions could admit as much gas as all the gas weeks in the Commonwealth and one year. Thank you very much. Well
thank you very much. Do7601 we have any questions from any members of the committee for this particular panel?
What and mr Boehner Bonnie uh after the testimony, you have any additional thoughts you wanted to german. I appreciate you coming back to me. Chair Mr Chairman real quick, there was a recent boston globe article about the discovery of national natural gas leaks from appliances located inside people's homes7632 and I just want people to know and understand that there's been a lot in place for years. It's called the seven year me to change law. It's in massachusetts and it requires that the utilities come in a person's home business church, whatever. Um, and change out the gas meter when, when a technician from the utility does that. They're also doing um, safety checks. They're doing safety checks on the appliances, the gas piping, the meters. Um, it's something that's been done for years. And during those checks, many7671 of these type issues are identified and eventually remediated. So it's very important That that seven year media changed law continues. It's important that it's enforced. It's important that the utilities continue to do it because as I said gases will be7691 in use. However, this winds up for a long time and these, these types safety checks have to continue. Thank you. Thank you very much. And I want to thank all members of the panel for your testimony and for sticking with us all afternoon. We'll move on. The last bill is age 30 to 97 act supporting safe excavation practices. And the only witness that is signed up to testify as Abbey Goodman uh, from the american council of Engineering companies uh, is Abby or somebody from the american council here to testify.
I'm here. I believe I'm here on behalf of Abbey. There you go. And who are you? I'm ken Conte, I'm a professional land surveyors here. And uh, I'd like to thank Chairman Barrett Chairman Roy, members of the committee uh in a long afternoon listening. Um I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of7759 this bill. I am a professional answer their in massachusetts and um I'm a principal with deals and thomas were surveying firm with offices in Southborough implement, I've been here for 35 years and I'm currently the vice president of the massachusetts Association of Land surveyors and Civil engineers. Um I'm also um here on behalf of the american council um7789 of engineering companies in massachusetts as well. Um The land7794 surveying and the engineering communities fully support bill 30 to 97 the act to support safe excavation practices. Um
we uh we've been working for a number of years with some limited information to be able to do our work. Um and the7815 sometimes the information comes out too late in the process. Um the act to support the safe excavation will allow firms with professional land surveyors who are trying to gather information before projects are designed and built um to allow us to be able to adequately address, you know, locations of underground utilities that currently um you know, we're not privy to all the information um that companies like Diggs safe are able to get um the important bill would amend the Diggs safe law, Mass. General law 82 chapters, Sections 40 48 40 B to allow surveyors um into that definition and it would amend and give us the access to the utility information that we need in the early stages of projects. Um This affects not only the private sector, but many um public sector work. Uh projects don't get that same information until it's too late. And what that does is that extends um many times the budgets and the time frame to get these projects done because you have to go back and redesign and re address things. Um amending this bill to allow us to that information will give us give us a leg up on being able to do our work properly and efficiently. Um Our work typically7920 involves petitioning, you know, utility companies and municipalities for their records. Unfortunately, their records are either old or schematic and the result, you know, we can't sometimes were even told that we can't we get the information but we're not allowed to show it on our plans. Um We've always embraced technology um, you know, serving as you know, over the my 35 years has certainly changed quite a bit. You know, now we're looking at, you know, robotics, drones, global positioning systems to do our work. But we still, you know, our strict disadvantage when it comes to getting the access and the information on these underground utilities.
Um, you know, I, you know, I quiz a few people in my office just, you know, you know, if they give me some examples7975 that have happened and you know, there are numerous examples um you know uh and the ones that are most concerning and I've heard all afternoon is the7985 gas lines that those are the ones that are most critical and most dangerous and most important to know where they are. And I would hope that the committee uh supports this bill and you know as as professional land surveyors into the into the law so that we're able to work and do our jobs more efficiently. Thank you very much for your testimony, appreciate it. I'm going to ask any of the committee members have any questions for Mr Conte.
I see no questions. Thank you again. We will be taking a look at all of these pieces of legislation and deeply appreciate8030 everyone signing in and sharing their testimony with us today. I do not have any other witnesses who have signed up for testimony. I will ask at this time if there's anybody who I missed during the day. Uh that would like to testify on a bill, let's begin there
hearing. None. Is there anyone who is here to testify on any bill that has not been called for any other reason?
Well that's a good answer8064 at 5:21 pm. I appreciate it. I appreciate everyone being here today and I'm going to call this hearing to a close. Thank you all very much and have a great evening
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