Massachusetts Enacts Green Communities Act

Far-reaching Massachusetts "green" legislation is signed into law.

On July 2, 2008, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the Green Communities Act (the Act). The Act is a comprehensive bill that encourages energy reform in multiple ways. Some of the most important provisions of the Green Communities Act are set out. For example, the Act

• Directs the state to purchase new hybrids or alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) to the maximum extent feasible to replace old vehicles. It requires the state to have replaced at least 50 percent of its vehicles with hybrids or AFVs by 2018.
  
  
• Requires the State Board of Building Regulations and Standards to adopt the latest edition of the International Energy Conservation Code as part of the State Building Code, ensuring that Massachusetts buildings conform to the highest international standards of energy