About the Western Massachusetts Clean Energy Network

We are an informal group of Western Massachusetts residents working on clean energy, siting, and forest stewardship. Members include academics, consultants, business owners, nonprofit volunteers, and retired community members with decades of local knowledge. We meet in person and on email.

The energy transition reaches different parts of Massachusetts at different paces. Cities have rooftops. Rural towns have land. A state law passed in 2024 sets new rules about who decides what. Most of those rules took effect in July 2026. We help residents and town officials understand those rules and the choices they create.

What we do

We track the state and local rules that shape what gets built where. Massachusetts changed those rules in 2024 with Chapter 239. We read the regulations and translate them into plain language.

Public debate over solar siting is full of claims about land use, forest carbon, panel safety, and ratepayer cost. We check those claims against evidence and publish what we find.

We meet, we draft, we share. Members come from towns across Hampshire and Franklin counties.

We do not represent any agency, university, or company. Members speak for themselves.