In what appears to be a first, and following a concerted effort by Klavens Law Group, the MA Attorney General has rejected elements of a municipal solar bylaw aimed at blocking commercial solar energy projects. In the past, the AG’s office has routinely approved local solar bylaws – often with a stern warning that under paragraph nine of MGL c. 40A, § 3 the municipality can’t apply the bylaw so as to prohibit or unreasonably regulate solar facilities except where necessary to protect public health, safety or welfare. In a March 21, 2022 decision, however, the MA Attorney General flatly rejected the Town of Wareham’s effort to amend its zoning bylaw to place harsh restrictions on the siting of large-scale ground mount solar energy facilities.
/continue readingMA AG Rejects Restrictive Solar Bylaw Amendment
The Massachusetts climate act contains provisions relating to net metering that could have a significant impact on solar development.