Biomass Plant Update
The zombie biomass plant is alive once more. The legal case against the Palmer Renewable Energy’s biomass facility building permits ended earlier this month when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) declined to hear the case challenging building permits.
However, community opposition is still going strong based on the public health impacts of additional air pollution, the focus has turned to legislative efforts to end the loophole that allows municipal light plants to use subsidies for biomass.
Call or write your legislators to report out favorably the legislation (S.2288 /H.3549), filed by state Sen. Adam Gomez and state Rep. Orlando Ramos, to end the loophole that allows municipal light plans to count biomass wood burning plants in their clean energy goals.
This legislation is the latest step to fight Palmer Renewable Energy’s proposed biomass plant in Springfield. Since it was first proposed in 2008, Springfield residents, environmental groups, and public health experts have advocated against the biomass facility and raised concerns about the impact on air quality and health in a community with high asthma rates.
The House, Senate, and Governor have each put forth different omnibus bills that—among many other controversial things— would close this loophole. The group of environmental and other organizations fighting the biomass plant are concerned that protracted negotiations over the complex omnibus bills will impede the passage of this simple policy fix that has the support of all of Beacon Hill as well as the support of MMWEC and ENE, which represent municipal utilities.
This legislative action is urgent because under current law, beginning January 2026, this loophole allows Municipal Lighting Plants (MLPs) to count biomass power towards meeting their climate targets. This biomass subsidy is called the “MLP loophole” because it was created as part of the MLP Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standard in the 2021 climate bill. The very next year, the Legislature removed biomass from the state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS), which requires investor-owned utilities to purchase energy from qualified renewable sources. Biomass was removed from the RPS because of its health and environmental harms; closing the MLP loophole would mean that no utilities in Massachusetts would be incentivized to purchase polluting biomass energy for electricity.
The Springfield Climate Justice Coalition (SCJC) is planning other activities, and we will continue to update you on next steps.
For more information:
- Conservation Law Foundation statement on the legal case
- PHIWM Fighting for Air webinar
- Masslive: High court won’t hear Springfield biomass permit case; foes vow to fight on
- Shoestring: Springfield’s Zombie Plant is Reanimated Once Again
- Commonwealth Beacon: House punts on sweeping energy bill that would dial back state climate commitments
Last modified: January 13, 2026
