Joe Walsh of Suffolk University Law School : Home Rule on the Ropes: State Preemption of Local Zoning for Small Renewable Power Projects in Massachusetts

Joe Walsh recenlty wrote a paper titled:
Home Rule on the Ropes: State Preemption of Local Zoning for Small Renewable Power Projects in Massachusetts.

The paper is witty and on point. Abstract below:

Abstract:
Local zoning approvals and community-based legal appeals continue to bedevil Massachusetts' renewable energy entrepreneurs, even as policy change and investment capital are helping to spur growth in renewable energy generation. Proposals for special renewable energy zoning laws still need to work through the legislature (and, ultimately, the courts) and the future is unclear.

The entrepreneurs that understand and make best use of an existing Massachusetts statute that provides zoning relief for power projects will be the first to get green power onto the grid, allowing them to command higher prices on the bulk power market and positioning them for lucrative long-term contracts with utilities that badly need the renewable capacity.

"Home Rule on the Ropes" outlines this special exemption and explains how it can be used to gain the competitive advantage in permitting.

Keywords: renewable energy, land use, zoning, energy, permits

View the abstract and download Joe Walsh's paper

Cite: Walsh, Joe, Home Rule on the Ropes: State Preemption of Local Zoning for Small Renewable Power Projects in Massachusetts (July 21, 2009). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1437275

9.12 DC TEA PARTY - MARCH FOOTAGE WITH INTERVIEWS

Last time I checked Jesus wrote the Constitution. Take that HISTORY!