NOTICE OF FILING, REQUEST FOR COMMENTS, AND PUBLIC HEARING
D.P.U. 23-106
November 16, 2023
Petition of Valley Green Energy for approval by the Department of Public Utilities of a joint municipal aggregation plan pursuant to G.L. c. 164, § 134, which would serve the Town of Amherst, City of Northampton, and Town of Pelham.
On October 13, 2023, Valley Green Energy (“VGE”) filed a request with the Department of Public Utilities (“Department”) for approval of a joint municipal aggregation plan pursuant to G.L. c. 164, § 134, which would serve the Town of Amherst, City of Northampton, and Town of Pelham. General Laws c. 164, § 134 authorizes a municipality to procure electric supply on behalf of consumers within its municipal borders through a municipal aggregation program (“Program”). Eligible electricity consumers not already enrolled with a competitive electric supplier would be automatically enrolled in the Program unless they chose to opt-out, in which case they would continue to receive basic service provided by their electric distribution company, Massachusetts Electric Company d/b/a National Grid. The Department docketed this petition as D.P.U. 23-106.
VGE has retained MassPowerChoice, LLC to serve as its consultant in this proceeding and to assist in the implementation of the Program. VGE seeks a waiver on its own behalf and on behalf of the competitive electric supplier(s) chosen for the Program, of certain information disclosure requirements contained in G.L. c. 164, § 1F(6) and 220 CMR 11.06(4)(c).
The Department will conduct a virtual public hearing to receive comments on VGE’s filing. The Department will conduct the hearing using Zoom videoconferencing on January 22, 2024, beginning at 2:00 p.m. Attendees can join by entering the link, https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82827455916, from a computer, smartphone, or tablet. No prior software download is required. For audio-only access to the hearings, attendees can dial in at (305) 224-1968 (not toll free) and then enter the Meeting ID# 828 2745 5916. If you anticipate providing comments via Zoom during the public hearing, to the extent possible, please send an email by the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Friday, January 19, 2024, to timothy.m.federico@mass.gov with your name, email address, and mailing address.
Alternatively, any person who desires to comment on this matter may submit written comments to the Department via email no later than the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Friday, January 19, 2024. To the extent a person wishes to submit comments in accordance with this Notice, electronic submission, as detailed below, is sufficient.
All written comments or other documents should be submitted to the Department in PDF format by e-mail attachment to dpu.efiling@mass.gov and timothy.m.federico@mass.gov. In addition, all written comments should be emailed to counsel for VGE, Paul Gromer, Esq., at pgromer@gromerllc.com. The text of the e-mail must specify: (1) the docket number of the proceeding (D.P.U. 23-106); (2) the name of the person or company submitting the filing; and (3) a brief descriptive title of the document. All documents submitted in electronic format will be posted on the Department’s website as soon as practicable at http://www.mass.gov/dpu. The e-mail must also include the name, title, and telephone number of a person to contact in the event of questions about the filing. Importantly, all large files must be broken down into electronic files that do not exceed 20MB.
At this time, all filings will be submitted only in electronic format in recognition of the difficulty that parties and the Department may have filing and receiving original copies. Ordinarily, parties would follow Sections B.1 and B.4 of the Department’s Standard Ground Rules regarding the filing of original paper versions (D.P.U. 15-184-A, App. 1 (March 4, 2020)). However, until further notice, parties must retain the original paper version and the Department will later determine when the paper version must be filed with the Department Secretary.
VGE’s filing and all related documents submitted to or issued by the Department will be available at the Department’s website as soon as is practicable at https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/DPU/Fileroom/dockets/bynumber (enter “23-106”). A paper copy of the filing will not be available for public viewing at the Department due to certain ongoing safety measures and precautions related to in-person events as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. To request materials in accessible formats (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format) for people with disabilities, contact the Department’s ADA coordinator at gabriella.knight@mass.gov.
Any person desiring further information regarding VGE’s filing or a paper copy of the filing should contact Paul Gromer, Esq., at pgromer@gromerllc.com or (617) 227-7024. For further information regarding this Notice, please contact Timothy Federico, Hearing Officer, Department of Public Utilities, at timothy.m.federico@mass.gov.