Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington (left) and Rep. Jeffrey Roy of Franklin, the chairs of Legislature's Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy Committee.

THE HOUSE AND Senate chairs of the Legislature’s energy committee aren’t talking to each other, but in separate interviews they both seem confident lawmakers will pass another climate and energy bill this session.

The two chairs, Rep. Jeffrey Roy of Franklin and Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington, are locked in a dispute over rules governing the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. As a result, the joint committee has split in two, with House members holding their own hearings on bills and Senate members meeting separately to do the same.

Despite the gulf between the two chairs, both are confident their rules dispute will not prevent the Legislature from passing another climate and energy law this session. Roy says the legislation is desperately needed so it has to get done. Barrett agrees, although he suggests it may not be easy.

“I expect there to be climate legislation this session,” Barrett said. “But the road is filled with rock slides and debris. It’s not a smooth road.”

The two lawmakers may agree another climate and energy bill is needed, but they don’t agree on what it needs to include.

Both lawmakers say permitting reform for electricity transmission infrastructure is a priority. Roy said electric vehicle charging stations need to get built across the state, but currently rules for such construction vary from one municipality to the next, slowing the pace of development.

Roy points out that some charging stations will require access to large amounts of electricity. For example, one study estimated a charging station of the future along the Massachusetts Turnpike could require the electricity needed to power Gillette Stadium on a game day. Getting that power delivered to the charging station will require transmission lines crossing many jurisdictions, all with different regulatory approaches.

“We need a little more uniformity,” Roy said. “We can’t wait four to five years for permits.”

The representative ticked off several other priorities, including granting the authority for more offshore wind procurements; revamping the Mass Save program, which is run by utilities, to encourage more efficient use of electricity; and addressing concerns about retail electricity competition.

Barrett said he wants to see the bottle deposit law expanded to include more containers. He wants a ban on competitive retail electricity suppliers. And he wants to see electricity rates restructured to encourage people to electrify their homes and vehicles.

Currently, electricity rates are based on the amount of electricity consumed. Barrett said that makes sense for the electricity being purchased, but he points out that roughly half of a consumer’s bill is for transmission, distribution, and energy efficiency – items unrelated to electricity consumption. He said rates for those items should be fixed and not vary with consumption.

Normally a joint committee would vote on a bill and then report it out for action to the House and Senate. Given the acrimony over rules between Roy and Barrett, a vote of the full joint committee seems unlikely, which means a climate and energy bill will have to follow a different, uncharted path.

BRUCE MOHL

 

FROM COMMONWEALTH

Long time coming: An MBTA employee indicted and suspended six years ago for leveraging his job as a buyer to obtain kickbacks and illegal gifts pleads guilty to 13 charges and is sentenced to a year in jail and required to pay restitution of $37,860. Read more.

Not feasible: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she doesn’t think it is feasible to treat Mass. and Cass residents dealing with homelessness and drug addiction at a facility at Widett Circle. Read more.

OPINION

Unfair treatment: Patrick J. Wolf, a professor of education at the University of Arkansas, says Boston charter school students are not being treated equitably by state funding. Read more.

 

FROM AROUND THE WEB

 

BEACON HILL

More than a week after suspending state cannabis commission chair Shannon O’Brien, state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg still won’t say why she took the action. (Boston Herald)  

MUNICIPAL MATTERS  

The city of Boston has paid out more than $2.1 million so far this year to settle five discrimination and civil rights cases, all which were initiated before Mayor Michelle Wu took office. (Boston Globe)

Bourne officials are seeking state guidance on enforcing local hotel and motel regulations, which call for guests to depart after three-week stays, against migrants lodged in those facilities. (Cape Cod Times)

To help address a recent spate of gun violence, Springfield offers free access to community centers, Ys, and Boys and Girls Clubs. (New England Public Media)

HEALTH/HEALTH CARE

DCF sending children with autism to live at the Judge Rotenberg Center has prompted concern, though the children are not recipients of its controversial electric shock treatment. (MassLive)

ELECTIONS

Advocates for a state ballot question authorizing rent control are pushing ahead, despite a split among housing advocates, some of whom think the effort is a mistake. (Boston Globe)

Beverly, Chelsea, Fitchburg, and Holyoke hold preliminary elections today, featuring a few busy mayoral fields. (MassLive)

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Immigrants from Latin America as young as 14 are working long hours in New Bedford fish processing plants, a practice that has spurred an investigation by the US Department of Labor. (The Public’s Radio/Frontline). 

The fight over whether there are too many pot shops in downtown Boston is heading to court. (Boston Globe) 

EDUCATION

Ibram Kendi defended the layoffs and restructuring at the Center for Antiracist Research that he runs at Boston University, and complained that leaders of color “are often held to different standards.” (Boston Globe)

The US Coast Guard Academy has banned Nichols College president Glenn Sulmasy from its grounds after reports that he exchanged sexually suggestive texts with a student he taught while at the academy. (Worcester Telegram)

TRANSPORTATION

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority says it is generally pleased with the results of a transit audit released in August, but plans to make improvements in recording ADA complaints and update its guide language. (MetroWest Daily News)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

The Salem Conservation Commission votes 4-1 to reject plans for an offshore wind staging facility in the harbor. The commissioners were concerned about lighting and drainage at the facility. (Salem News)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who opposed grant funding for Boston police intelligence operations that include its gang database as a city councilor and mayoral candidate, has flipped her view and now supports the funding, she said, because the department has worked to clear names of those no longer actively part of gangs from the roster. (Boston Herald) 

A sergeant in the Westminster Police Department is suing the town and the former chief of police for discrimination, alleging they violated her rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act. (Worcester Telegram)

MEDIA

A new Arlington news website is generating articles on local issues using artificial intelligence, and the town residents who developed it have founded a nonprofit company that may make the technology they’re using available to other communities that have seen local news operations dry up. (Boston Globe)