Mass. lawmakers announce a deal on stalled clean energy bill

House and Senate Democrats on Thursday morning announced a breakthrough on "comprehensive climate and clean energy siting and permitting legislation," penciling in an upcoming vote on a major bill that stumbled at the traditional end of formal business in July.

Rep. Jeff Roy of Franklin and Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington, the lead negotiators tasked with achieving compromise on wide-reaching clean energy bills each branch approved this year, said just after 9 a.m. that they are finalizing details and plan to submit a final proposal "in the coming days."

"We are proud to announce that we have reached an agreement in principle that resolves the differences between the House and Senate versions of the comprehensive climate and clean energy siting and permitting legislation," the duo said. "Massachusetts must continue to be a national leader in the effort to combat climate change, a prerequisite for which will be transitioning to a clean energy economy and creating high-quality jobs in the process."

Barrett said the agreement is expected to include "lots of important breakthroughs in terms of outfitting the state with an EV charger network, some very important housekeeping details around heat pumps," and changes to the MassPort charter that will require the agency to consider reductions in greenhouse gas emissions along with regional economic growth.

"Everything that ends well has to be considered worthwhile and this process was labyrinthine but to a very good end," Barrett told the State House News Service. "I think the House gets a lot of what it wants. I know the Senate is very satisfied. We do protect ratepayers on the gas side even as we build out the electric grid."

The agreement will also include language related to the procurement of energy storage and an option for purchasing nuclear power from Millstone Nuclear Power Plant in Connecticut or Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire, the senator said. That could be key to a deal Gov. Maura Healey has reportedly been discussing with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont to get his state to buy into an offshore wind project with Massachusetts.

Both branches approved bills overhauling and streamlining the process for siting and permitting clean energy infrastructure, an area where many regulators and industry leaders see a need for reform. Barrett said the conference agreement uses siting and permitting language from the Healey administration as a "base case," but lawmakers made a "few improvements."

But the House and Senate each added their own climate and clean energy priorities to the mix, too, and Democrats were unable to forge a compromise during a chaotic stretch.

Some Republicans voted against the bills in both chambers, complicating — but not prohibiting — the route to final passage following the July 31 traditional end of formal sessions. Democrats might opt to pare back the package to a version that could win unanimous support during an informal session, or they might call members back to Beacon Hill to form the quorum needed to muscle it through over Republican opposition.

Barrett said he hopes the Senate then the House can pass the conference agreement onto the governor's desk "relatively soon."

"But we will definitely get there," he said, dismissing possible minority party-related delays as temporary.

After the branches failed to reach agreement at the end of formal sessions, Healey attached scaled-back siting and permitting reform language to her closeout budget bill in an attempt to renew action on that front.

"Governor Healey is excited that the Legislature has reached an agreement on this critical climate bill that will strengthen Massachusetts' global leadership in creating clean energy jobs and reducing costs," a spokesperson for Healey said. "She looks forward to receiving it."