FY2014 - FY2018 Capital Investment Plan
Report - Investment Category - Energy and Environment
The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
develops policies and targets capital investments that balance sustainable
economic development, quality of life and resource protection, in order to
ensure that Massachusetts is a great place to live, work, learn and play for
generations to come.
The following graph reflects the Administration’s estimated
capital investment in energy and environmental affairs projects and programs
over the next five years, as compared to fiscal years 2007 and 2013 energy and
environment related spending.

Administration Accomplishments to Date
- Since 2007, the
Patrick Administration has conserved over 110,000 new acres of open space
which protects our drinking water, sustains the character of our
communities, provides children with a safe place to play, conserves
forests and habitat and supports jobs in forestry, farming and tourism.
This historic, $300 M investment in land conservation has also:
- Built and restored more than 170 parks, mostly in
environmental justice neighborhoods;
- Funded 10-year forest management agreements with about 1,000
landowners to advance long-term forest conservation on 90,000 acres of
private forest land; and
- Protected
more than 20,000 acres of mountain peaks, wild rivers and forests in 10
unique intact ecosystems called Habitat Reserves, which provide species
habitats and will buffer climate change impacts.
- Projects
occurred in 310 communities and these new parks and conservation lands are
within a 10-minute walk (½ mile) of 1.5 M residents – 23% of all residents
of the Commonwealth.
- The
Administration has invested $70 M to protect 160 farms (9,750 acres),
placed 11,850 acres under agricultural covenants and invested $1.9 M to
increase the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural operations.
- Access
to fishing and boating activities has been greatly increased with $5.8 M
for 21 boat ramp projects (including large construction projects in New
Bedford and Fall River), 7 floating dock systems, 13 canoe/kayak access
projects, 4 shore fishing/pier access projects and 41 statewide
maintenance and engineering projects.
- $8.4 M invested in
smart growth environmental projects through the Department of Fish and
Game’s (DFG) Division of Ecological Resources has:
- Restored
805 acres of wetlands and 250 river miles;
- Created
or sustained over 415 jobs;
- Leveraged
$26.2 M in non-state funds; and
- Generated
$60.6 M in economic activity within Massachusetts.
- Massachusetts
has bolstered capacity to ensure water quality across all 27 watersheds in
the Commonwealth. Thirty-nine riverine and lake sites are now monitored
on weekly rotation and are consistently evaluated to certify that cities
and towns have access to clean water.
- The Administration
has invested over $225 M in Massachusetts parks, pools, parkways and other
recreation facilities. An additional $28 M was directed towards beach,
bathhouse and comfort stations projects, including new structures at
Salisbury, Nahant, Horseneck and Constitution Beaches, as well as
improvements at Winthrop Shores, Canton Airport and Southbridge Pool.
- As part
of the Sustainable Water Management Initiative (SWMI), the Administration
initiated a $2 M annual municipal grant capital program to support
planning assistance, conservation and demand management, and withdrawal
impact mitigation projects in local communities.
- The Administration
has repaired and restored critical dam and seawall infrastructure by
investing more than $25 M in over 25 dam and coastal improvement projects.
FY14 Highlights
-
The Commonwealth will invest $1.3 M in the nationally recognized river and wetland
restoration program, administered by the Division of Ecological Restoration at
the Department of Fish and Game. These restoration projects are expected to
leverage an additional $5 M in federal and private funds, in addition to
creating over 75 jobs every year.
-
Construction on the headquarters building for Division of Fisheries and Wildlife in
Westborough will be completed. This will replace current outdated and
overcrowded facilities and will be the Commonwealth’s first net zero energy
building.
-
The Commonwealth will invest $56.4 M in FY14 for the development of the New Bedford
Marine Commerce Terminal, a unique seaport facility that will provide a staging
ground for the development of offshore wind and support hundreds of jobs on the
South Coast of the Commonwealth.
-
The Environmental Information and Public Access System (EIPAS) will save time and
money for businesses with streamlined electronic permitting, broadened access
to neighborhood-level information about environmental conditions in cities and
towns, and enable the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to
more efficiently schedule, perform, and track inspections and compliance activities.
-
Many additional energy and environment-related projects ranging from the Greening
the Gateway Cities to Urban Signature Parks are listed in the Community
Investments section of this plan.
Accelerated Energy Program
The Patrick Administration launched the Accelerated Energy Program
(AEP) in FY12 to accelerate the implementation of energy and water projects
across the Commonwealth and help the Commonwealth comply with E.O. 484 -
Leading By Example, which requires state agencies to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, energy and water use by specified targets. As part of the program,
DCAMM plans to green 700 sites in 700 working days, by December 31, 2014. The
sites encompass over 4,000 buildings and nearly 60 M square feet throughout the
Commonwealth.
AEP is a three-year initiative that will create clean energy job
opportunities across the Commonwealth and save over $40 M annually through the
conservation of energy and water. The program is funded primarily from the
Clean Energy Investment Program (CEIP), which uses utilities savings from
projects to repay the bonds used for the project. This is an innovative
financing approach developed by the Executive Office for Administration and
Finance (A&F) that allows these important projects to go forward without
impacting the Commonwealth’s bond cap. AEP also expects to leverage over $40 M
in utility incentives.
Administration Accomplishments to Date
-
In March, 2013, the US Green Building Council awarded the designation of LEED
Platinum to the Renovation and addition to DEP’s William X. Wall Experimental
Station in Lawrence, making it the first Commonwealth building to achieve this
highest rating of energy efficiency and sustainable design.
-
As of September 1, 2013, more than 302 sites, encompassing approximately 29 M
square feet, are underway. Projects at 18 sites (11 M square feet) have been
completed.
FY14 Highlights
-
The
Commonwealth expects to spend $25 M on AEP projects in FY14, nearly $17 M in CEIP
funding, $6 M in bond cap funding and over $2 M in leveraged utility and other
contributions. Projects at all 700 sites will be underway by the end of FY14.
-
Construction
will be completed for the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Headquarters Zero
Net Energy facility in Westborough. The building will replace outdated
facilities and leases while consolidating operations to promote better
collaboration and offer more space for education and public hearings.