State Continuing Review of South Coast Renewables Application

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is continuing to review the site suitability application for South Coast Renewables, LLC (formerly known as Parallel Products of New England).

MassDEP representatives said April 29 that no decision had yet been made on the application, and no new deadline had been set. April 29 was the most recent deadline for a decision by MassDEP, following several extensions of the timeline in recent months.

South Coast Renewables is seeking to expand its operations at 100 Duchaine Boulevard in New Bedford. MassDEP has been conducting an extensive review of the application since early 2023.

If the state enables the project to move forward, the New Bedford Board of Health will hold public hearings on the application before making a final determination.

The state’s review has seen multiple extensions.

Nov. 1, 2023, was the initial deadline for MassDEP to issue a ruling on the application. Amid conversations about sound monitoring and other components of the technical review, MassDEP announced an extension of the review to Dec. 18.

That extension was referenced in Oct. 30 technical comments, and a Nov. 2 letter, from MassDEP to South Coast Renewables Vice President Tim Cusson.

In December 2023, the state announced an additional extension, to Feb. 29, 2024.

In February 2024, the state announced an additional extension, to March 13.

Additional extensions to April 3 and April 12, and then to April 29, enabled further technical review of a revised sound study and other materials submitted by South Coast Renewables.

South Coast Renewables’ revised sound study, and other documents related to the application, can be reviewed online through the state’s public access portal. Search “New Bedford” as the city and then “renewables” as the keyword.

The sound study documents are titled:

  • Record 68_MassDEP Comments on Epsilon Sound Study
  • SCR Sound Report Addendum 03.05.24

A supplemental traffic memo is titled: Supplemental Traffic Memo_MassDEP 2023-11-03

A MassDEP ruling could lead to two outcomes:

  • If MassDEP determines that South Coast Renewables’ site suitability application does not meet all relevant criteria, it will issue a negative determination to the New Bedford Board of Health, which then would not proceed with the site assignment process.
  • If Mass DEP determines that the application does meet all relevant criteria, MassDEP will issue a positive determination to the New Bedford Board of Health. The Board of Health would then issue a public notice, conduct its own review, and hold public hearings before voting on whether or not to allow the proposal to move forward.

View multilingual fact sheets on the proposed facility and the site application process here.

MassDEP accepted public comment until Aug. 24, 2023 on South Coast Renewables’ proposed solid waste management facility at its site in the New Bedford Business Park, in New Bedford’s far North End.

In March 2024, MassDEP invited interested parties to review the revised sound study and supplemental traffic memo and submit comments for MassDEP’s consideration by March 27.

Comments can be submitted to MassDEP:

  • via email to sero.solidwaste@mass.gov or
  • via U.S. MAIL to: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, 20 Riverside Drive, Lakeville, MA 02347, Attn: Mark Dakers