First Meeting Of Municipal Light Plant Caucus Held After Pandemic

SHREWSBURY, MA — A caucus of lawmakers who represent communities in Massachusetts with municipal power companies met for the first time this week since before the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing new legislation that might affect municipal power companies.

The caucus includes state Rep. Hannah Kane, R-Shrewsbury, state Sen. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer, state Rep. Kimberly Ferguson, R-Holden, state Sen. Patrick O'Conner, R-Weymouth and state Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik, D-Gardner.

At the meeting, the Municipal Electric Association of Massachusetts (MEAM) talked about challenges facing New England's electrical grid. The lawmakers also talked about key pieces of legislation on Beacon Hill this session, including:

• Senate Bill 2131/House Bill 3699, An Act relative to municipal light plant emergency mutual aid. Filed by Senator Gobi and Representative Ferguson, this legislation importantly clarifies the existing municipal light plant “emergency “mutual aid statute regarding the protection of MLP employees in the event of injury or death while participating in” emergency” mutual aid services provided by its MLP employer.
• House Bill 3142, An act relative to municipal light plants. Filed by Representative Jay Barrows (R-Mansfield), this legislation would allow municipalities and their municipal light board to construct, install, alter, operate, maintain or repair utility poles and conduit, wires, cables, and equipment, and streetlights and traffic signals to the same extent such municipality acting by and through its municipal light board may provide such services within its service territory.
• Senate Bill 2139, An act relative to municipal light plants. Filed by Senator John Keenan (D-Quincy), this legislation would expand a municipal light plant’s exemption from the public records law, which protects these entities and their information pertaining to trade secrets, competitively sensitive and other proprietary information, to include protection for other plant services like telecommunications and cable services, allowing them to similarly remain competitive with their counterparts.

Shrewsbury's SELCO is one of 40 municipally-owned electric utilities in Massachusetts.