Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities Public Hearing 7/8/24

On April 24, 2024, the Town of Hanover (“Town”) filed a request with the Department of Public Utilities (“Department”) for approval of a municipal aggregation plan pursuant to G.L. c. 164, § 134. 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, National Grid. The Department docketed this petition as D.P.U. 24-61.

The Town has retained MassPowerChoice, LLC. to serve as its consultant in this proceeding and to assist in the implementation of the Program. The Town 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 the Town’s filing. The Department will conduct the hearing using Zoom videoconferencing on Monday, July 8, 2024, beginning at 2:00 p.m. Attendees can join by entering the link, https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83102084997, 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: 831 0208 4997. 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, July 5, 2024, to Lauren.Morris@mass.gov with your name, email address, and mailing address.

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 Monday, July 8, 2024. Please note that in the interest of transparency any comments will be posted to our website as received and without redacting personal information, such as addresses, telephone numbers, or email addresses. As such, consider the extent of information you wish to share when submitting comments. The Department strongly encourages public comments to be submitted by email. If, however, a member of the public is unable to send written comments by email, a paper copy may be sent to Mark D. Marini, Secretary, Department of Public Utilities, One South Station, Boston, Massachusetts, 02110.

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 Lauren.Morris@mass.gov. In addition, all written comments should be emailed to counsel for the Town, 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. 24-61); (2) the name of the person or company submitting the filing; and (3) a brief descriptive title of the document. 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.

The Town’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 “24-61”). 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 Jenyka.Spitz-Gassnola2@mass.gov.

Any person desiring further information regarding the Town’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 Lauren Morris, Hearing Officer, Department of Public Utilities, at Lauren.Morris@mass.gov.