Bill > S2147

This bill aims to improve outdoor lighting, conserve energy, and increase dark-sky visibility. It does this by: 1. Prohibiting the use of state or municipal funds to install or operate new permanent outdoor fixtures that do not meet certain requirements, such as being fully shielded, emitting limited uplight, and having a correlated color temperature of no more than 3000 Kelvin (with some exceptions). 2. Requiring the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to develop regulations to implement and enforce these lighting standards, as well as to ensure that electric distribution companies and municipal aggregators comply with the requirements when using state or municipal funds for new roadway or parking lot lighting. 3. Directing the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to review and report on roadway lighting, including its operational costs, impact on health and the environment, and a plan to replace high-wattage, unshielded fixtures with more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly alternatives. 4. Requiring the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to develop special utility rates for part-night service and low-wattage unmetered roadway or parking lot lighting fixtures, to incentivize the use of more efficient outdoor lighting systems. The overall goal of the bill is to promote energy-efficient, dark-sky-friendly outdoor lighting across the state, while also reducing energy costs and the environmental impact of outdoor lighting.

Budget and Finance, Transportation and Infrastructure

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S2147