In western Massachusetts, Williamstown's push for economic development is running into a utility problem, as the town may not have the gas and electric capacity needed to support more growth.
Here's what to know
Speaking to the Select Board, town officials said Berkshire Gas has indicated the community is essentially tapped out on natural gas service, according to iBerkshires.com.
Town manager Robert Menicocci said electric service is tight, too, a combination that could complicate plans for future housing, offices, and larger projects.
Menicocci said, "The pipeline that comes up through North Adams and feeds into us is at its maximum capacity. So there will be no additional installations for the very foreseeable and, probably, distant future."
If a formal moratorium follows, future residential and commercial projects in Williamstown could be prevented from getting new gas hookups.
The town's need for additional development revenue also came up at the Select Board's Aug. 24 tax classification hearing, where town assessor Christopher Lamarre laid out why new growth matters.
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"How do we determine the maximum allowable levy?" Lamarre said. "It is last year's levy plus 2.5 percent plus any debt exclusions plus new growth. So that says right there how important new growth is, because if we get big numbers of new growth, it allows us some breathing room. And, of course, it expands the overall tax base for everyone to share the levy. When your tax base is constricted, the [pre-existing] taxpayers are the ones who have to eat any increase whatsoever."
Electric power is not an easy fallback, Menicocci said. Responding after Select Board member Stephanie Boyd asked whether new buildings would simply need to go all-electric, he said: "[The Berkshire Gas communication] was not good news because we're already jammed up on [electric] grid capacity where we have a megawatt or less of capacity there."
More background
Typically, developers of new projects make agreements with utility companies before breaking ground, Williamstown community development director Andrew Groff said in an email responding to a request from iBerkshires.com.
"It's my understanding we're not yet under a [natural gas] moratorium, so this hasn't come to pass yet," he said. "It could have big implications though for the ARC project the college is planning to replace all of the indoor athletic facilities."
In the meantime, once the moratorium becomes official, it means no more new residential hookups or, for homes that heat with natural gas, hookups to add a gas oven in the kitchen or run a line to an accessory dwelling unit on a residential property.
What's being done?
On the electric side, Menicocci said any meaningful expansion would depend on state pressure for National Grid to build more infrastructure, and he cautioned that the price tag would be high.
"It's the state who has to say you have to invest," he said. "But, ultimately, even if that's the case, the bad news is ratepayers have to pay for anything. We already know it's a $100 million project. That's part of why National Grid isn't too excited about doing it, because they don't want to hit everyone with ridiculous rate increases. They don't think it's marketable to increase the capacity."
Menicocci said a residential solar-electric system could be an option, but only if it included battery storage.
As Menicocci told the board: "Everything we're talking about like options and development expansion and all that, this puts the squeeze on things, for sure."
Where can I learn more?
Williamstown's capacity crunch is part of a bigger debate over utility limits, infrastructure spending, and energy choices.
• Across Massachusetts, utilities expanded gas lines even after 10 communities went fossil fuel free.
• Across the U.S., utilities are keeping old coal plants alive as ratepayer costs climb.
• Nationally, clean solar and wind generated more electricity than coal for Americans in early 2023.
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