Politics & Government

Braintree Senator's Green Jobs Bill Approved

State Sen. Brian Joyce said his Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) reform bill could create about 10,000 jobs.

The following is from the office ofState Sen. Brian Joyce, whose district includes Easton, Braintree, Milton, and Sharon:

The Massachusetts Senate has passed Senator Brian A. Joyce’s Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) reform bill that could create an estimated 10,000 jobs in the Commonwealth and reduce carbon emissions at no cost to the taxpayer. The legislation would allow low-cost, off balance sheet financing to industrial and commercial business owners to make energy savings upgrades to properties, which in turn will create short-term job growth in the green energy economy and long-term job growth as business owners reinvest energy savings into expanding their businesses.

“This bill will create jobs and reduce carbon emissions at no cost to the taxpayer,” said Joyce. “Business owners and communities benefit from cleaner buildings. Less money spent on energy costs means more money being invested into the employers who are creating jobs in our backyards.”

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"As a major commercial real estate owner and manager in Massachusetts through our 14 retail properties, Simon applauds the leadership of Senator Brian A. Joyce on SB 2255. We strongly support the Commonwealth's goal of reducing the carbon footprint and look forward to passage of this legislation to make clean energy projects achievable for all municipalities and property owners," said Liz Zale, Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs at the Simon Property Group.

The legislation is the result of years of collaboration between Senator Joyce, property owners, environmentalists, and the Patrick Administration.

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"An invigorated PACE program in Massachusetts will improve asset values for building owners. It will help our Commonwealth meet our responsibilities to reduce our environmental impact and increase the resiliency of our communities. PACE financing is a well thought out innovation which will embolden owners to invest creatively in a new wave of aggressive energy efficiency retrofits, renewable energy installations, and resiliency improvements for our built environment. We salute the hard work of the coalition of advocates for this legislation, and Senator Joyce and his colleagues who have brought this important measure to fruition. The US Green Building Council looks forward to helping with implementation and market adoption of PACE for the creation of better communities throughout Massachusetts, and of course: more green buildings," said Grey Lee, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Chapter of the US Green Building Council.


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