Valley Green Energy Working Group Apr 8, 2026

The Town of Amherst, MA held a Valley Green Energy Working Group meeting on April 8, 2026, focusing primarily on the community choice aggregation (CCA) program's renewable energy certificate (REC) purchasing strategy and rate adjustments. The group discussed discontinuing the purchase of certain RECs for 2025 and 2026 due to their limited impact on new renewable energy development, opting instead to apply the savings as a rate reduction for program participants through November 2026. The 100% green option pricing remains unchanged, while the standard and basic options are adjusted to reflect the new approach. The group also deliberated on future funding mechanisms, such as maintaining an "adder" fee to support local renewable projects, but emphasized the need for concrete projects before committing to new charges. A motion to apply the 2025-2026 REC funds to rate reductions and to initiate a new contract bidding process was unanimously approved. Additionally, the group discussed communication strategies for informing customers about these changes and the importance of identifying viable renewable energy projects for future investment.