Bill would let cities waive connection fees to recruit industrial symbiosis projects

The House Environment & Energy Committee heard testimony on House Bill 1302 on Oct. 12, which would authorize municipalities to adopt programs that waive or delay utility connection charges for entities engaged in industrial symbiosis.

The bill, introduced in committee by Representative Julio Cortez, would let municipal utilities create discretionary waiver or delay programs for connection charges for low-income individuals, nonprofits, housing authorities and — newly — organizations that use another firm’s waste or byproducts productively to reduce resource use and greenhouse gas emissions. ‘‘Industrial symbiosis weaves industries together to capture economic value from waste while cutting cost…