Massachusetts Transportation Collective Forms to Reduce Construction Costs
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority recently unveiled a collective purchasing agreement among the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), along with 13 area municipalities representing more than one-fifth of the state’s total population.
Cooperation between the public transportation agencies is intended to bring down costs of several improvement projects including bus and bike lane road markings.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak says of the collective:
“This is another example of the region working together to move everyone forward. Increasingly, we all need to collaborate in new ways to better serve our riders and constituents. This agreement will ensure that public agencies like the MBTA will be using their funds as cost-effectively as possible, especially throughout the current public health and economic crisis.”
And MAPC Transportation Director Eric Bourassa stated:
“Establishing more bus and bike lanes is critical for the region as we continue to re-open the economy during this pandemic. By reducing costs for the MBTA as well as cities and towns, we can stretch our public dollars further to make public transit and cycling better and safer.”
The MBTA has estimated that the joint effort could save taxpayers more than $2 million in 2021 and make regional roadways more reliable for tens of thousands of daily bus riders.
Mass Transit Magazine has more on this story.
MBTA Lowers Fares For Charlie and Everyone Else
After increasing fares several times in the past few years, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has now lowered both cash and CharlieTicket fares to match CharlieCard prices. The fares have been lowered to $2.40 for rapid transit — a reduction of 50 cents from the previous fare.
The reduction was instituted due to budget issues caused by decreased ridership. According to an MBTA financial report, the MBTA is facing an estimated $300-million budget deficit.
Jarred Johnson, chief operating officer, and development director at TransitMatters, an organization advocating for affordable transportation, says the fare change will benefit lower-income riders, riders without bank accounts, and recent immigrants.
In an email to the Daily Free Press, Johnson states:
“The real issue isn’t costs, it’s that the T needs more revenue and needs to be less reliant on fares to be more resilient for future disasters or pandemics. It is often still difficult for bus riders to reload their card if there’s not a train station close by.”
Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, hopes the change will prevent the agency from having to lay off workers or raise fares.
Read all about it at Daily Free Press.
Mass DOER Finalizes Solar Incentive Program
The Mass. Department of Energy Resources has issued final regulations intended to strike a compromise between various stakeholders and environmental advocates by maintaining land-use restrictions and expanding SMART.
SMART is a long-term sustainable solar incentive program sponsored by Eversource Energy, National Grid, and Unitil Corporation.
The program originally covered 17 projects totaling 53.273 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV). It has since been made available to solar PV projects of all types and sizes, up to 5 MW.
Lexology.com reports:
Under the new rules, Solar projects on private property, either “owned or operated by a municipality or where the project’s owner has assigned 100% of the output to the host municipality” will be considered as public entity Solar Tariff Generation Units — a “raised structure allowing for continuous growth of crops underneath the solar photovoltaic modules, with height enough for labor and/or machinery as it relates to tilling, cultivating, soil amendments, harvesting, etc.; and grazing animals.”
Under DOER’s finalized rules, the SMART program will double the size of solar projects from 1.6 gigawatts to 3.2 gigawatts. Changes to SMART also increase prices for public entities developing solar, from 2 cents to 4 cents per kilowatt-hour.
The SMART program is one keystone of the state’s goal to become the most energy-efficient state in the nation, according to DOER Commissioner Patrick Woodcock. Woodcock believes the guidelines will “allow for Massachusetts to maintain its national leadership role in the solar industry while protecting the Commonwealth’s natural resources.”
Lexology.com has a more extensive report.
Cannabis Commission Approves Cannabis Delivery Rule Changes
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission announced several changes to its delivery license model including dividing delivery licenses into two categories — courier-style licenses and wholesale licenses.
The new rules don’t require license holders to maintain a brick-and-mortar location and allow delivery businesses to purchase inventory directly from cultivation and manufacturing facilities rather than from retailers.
Interestingly, applications for delivery businesses are exclusively limited to economic empowerment applicants and social equity program participants for a period of three years.
After Friday’s meeting, Commissioner Shaleen Title tweeted:
“With this change creating unprecedented exclusivity for social equity + economic empowerment businesses, Massachusetts might be back on track to be the first state with a functioning national model for equity. Very grateful to all who took the time to comment, and my colleagues.”
According to MJBizDaily, “Massachusetts is one of the only states in the nation to set aside marijuana delivery licenses exclusively for minority entrepreneurs.”
To qualify for a social equity license, applicants must be located in an area disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs or have a child or spouse with multiple cannabis convictions.
Additional rule changes were also unveiled after last week’s meeting.
To learn more, check out these sources:
Massachusetts Airports Rake in $9.8 Million In Infrastructure Grants
Eleven Mass. airports will be the recipients of a total $9.8 million grant from a $1.2 billion Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fund. The fund is intended to beef up airport safety and infrastructure across the U.S. All told, more than 400 airports across the country will benefit from the influx of capital.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced the grants stating:
“This $1.2 billion federal investment will improve our nation’s airport infrastructure, enhance safety, and strengthen growth in local communities, which is especially important as the economy recovers from COVID-19.”
Following is a list of Mass. airports and the allocation of funds:
Boston Logan International Airport to support a Voluntary Airport Low Emissions Program (VALE): $1,365,716
Chatham Municipal Airport to conduct an airport-related environmental study: $347,000
Barnstable Municipal-Boardman Airport in Hyannis to improve the aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle building: $506,700
Mansfield Municipal Airport to remove obstruction markings and lighting: $216,300
Harriman-and-West Airport in North Adams to install perimeter fencing: $660,898
Norwood Memorial Airport to conduct an environmental study: $283,332
Pittsfield Municipal Airport to conduct an environmental study: $66,581
Plymouth Municipal Airport to reconfigure an existing taxiway: $3,986,590
Provincetown Municipal Airport to install taxiway lighting and purchase an emergency generator: $1,736,682
Southbridge Municipal Airport to rehabilitate the runway and conduct an airport wildlife hazard assessment and a miscellaneous study: $217,000
Martha’s Vineyard Airport to conduct an environmental study: $366,016
According to the American Journal of Transportation, $13.5 billion has been granted to America’s airports to improve infrastructure and safety since January 2017, with $10 billion being delivered in 2020.
Mass. Credit Union Partners with Cannabis Payment Processor
Benzinga reports that GFA Federal Credit Union has announced a new partnership with cannabis payment processor Hypur. The partnership will bring much needed digital payment options to Mass. dispensaries.
Hypur’s chief revenue officer, Tyler Beuerlein, told Benzinga:
“Digital payment solutions like Hypur Pay are now essential to helping cannabis businesses thrive and empowering cannabis consumers to buy products when and how they want to, just as they would for any other purchase.”
This is an exciting development for Mass. dispensaries.