Gov. Romney Sees
Explosive Growth in Clean Energy
November 10, 2005 — By Rebecca Deusser, The Sun
BOSTON —Some officials on Beacon Hill
believe that clean energy will be the next thing to boost the state
economy.
In fact, that industry could become as profitable as biotechnology, Gov.
Mitt Romney said during a clean energy conference.
"This is an industry that is going to be explosive in its growth in the
next decade," Romney said. "We as a commonwealth stand to benefit
dramatically." The governor said the state's concentration of colleges
and teaching hospitals makes Massachusetts "a greenhouse for the
technology that increasingly employs our citizens," Romney said.
Timing is also ripe for passing laws that call for more efficient energy
use, on the heels of several devastating hurricanes that pushed gas
prices at the pump past $3 a gallon.
State Sen. Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr., a Pittsfield Democrat, hopes the bill
he co-sponsored to give tax breaks to people buying hybrid cars will
soon become law.
"With the changes in the energy environment, hybrids will become more
attractive to consumers and more affordable," said Nuciforo, who has
supported a number of energy-conservation measures over the years.
"(Hybrids) seemed futuristic four or five years ago, but it appears in
the greater community that there is an openness for hybrid technology."
Romney said he supports the bill, which passed in the Senate in
September.
That bill is currently in a House committee, and no debate is scheduled
before the Legislature breaks on Nov. 16, said Kimberly Haberlin,
spokeswoman for Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi.
Haberlin said DiMasi "is looking into ways to implement long-term
solutions," and he will likely file a comprehensive energy bill next
year.
"To (Romney's) credit, he recognizes the benefit of bringing new
technology to market," Nuciforo said. "I certainly believe that
Massachusetts will never win with its natural resources, but it will win
with its wits." House lawmakers will take up another aspect of energy
concerns either tomorrow or Thursday during a debate on an $80 million
fuel assistance and tax-relief package.
The bill includes a tax deduction of up to $800 for home heating oil and
gas costs for individuals with incomes up to $50,000, and families up to
$75,000.
The bill would enable people who invest in making their homes more
energy-efficient eligible for a tax credit, and it would add $20 million
to a fund for fuel assistance for low-income residents.
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Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
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