Senator Gómez Secures Biomass Reform in Senate Energy Bill
Senator Adam Gómez (D-Springfield) secured a major environmental justice victory today as the Massachusetts Senate adopted his Amendment #25 as part of the Senate's comprehensive energy affordability legislation, closing a longstanding loophole that classified woody biomass as an eligible "non-carbon-emitting" energy source under the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standard for municipal lighting plants.
The amendment removes woody biomass from the standard, aligning state law with established climate science and existing Massachusetts clean energy policy. The change also removes a potential financial incentive for new biomass generation, including the long-proposed Palmer Renewable Energy biomass facility, which residents and local officials have fought for more than fifteen years.
"For more than fifteen years, residents of Greater Springfield have fought this proposal because they understood what was at stake: the health of their families, the air they breathe, and the future of their community," said Senator Adam Gómez. "By closing this biomass loophole, the Senate reaffirmed that our climate policies should be guided by science, not outdated assumptions. Taxpayer-supported clean energy programs should invest in truly clean energy, and communities that have carried environmental burdens for far too long deserve policies that put public health first. Today's vote is a significant victory for environmental justice and for everyone who refused to give up on protecting Springfield."
For communities across Western Massachusetts, the amendment represents the culmination of a years-long effort to ensure state climate policy reflects both sound science and environmental justice. The proposed Palmer Renewable Energy biomass facility has been the subject of sustained opposition from neighborhood organizations, environmental advocates, public health experts, faith leaders, elected officials, and residents, who have consistently raised concerns about air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and the disproportionate impact the project would have on surrounding communities.
A longtime advocate against the proposal, Senator Gómez first opposed the biomass facility during his service on the Springfield City Council and has continued that work throughout his tenure in the Massachusetts Senate. During floor debate, Gómez described the amendment as an opportunity to finally close the "biomass loophole" by ensuring Massachusetts no longer classifies a polluting fuel source as clean energy.
Current law already excludes woody biomass from the Commonwealth's Renewable Portfolio Standard and Clean Energy Standard. Amendment #25 brings the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standard into alignment by removing woody biomass as an eligible non-carbon-emitting energy source for municipal lighting plants, ensuring consistency across Massachusetts' clean energy policies.
Environmental organizations, public health advocates, and community groups from across the Commonwealth urged lawmakers to adopt the amendment, including ARISE for Social Justice, the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition, Partnership for Policy Integrity, Climate Action Now–Western Massachusetts, the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance, and more than 80 organizations that signed a joint letter in support.
At Senator Gómez's request, the Senate considered Amendment #25 by a recorded roll call vote, adopting the measure 35–4. The vote placed every senator on the record in support of closing the biomass loophole and reaffirmed the Senate's commitment to science-based climate policy and environmental justice.
The amendment was adopted as part of the Senate's broader energy affordability legislation, which now advances to the next stage of the legislative process.