The bill, titled "Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind," mandates the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to implement a demonstration project involving ten cities and towns that will adopt and amend their general or zoning ordinances to require new building constructions or major renovations to be fossil fuel-free. The project includes enforcing restrictions on non-compliant constructions through the withholding or conditioning of building permits. The report accompanying the bill outlines the selection of participating communities, the process for approving their applications, and the analysis of emissions reductions and impacts on housing production and affordability.

The report indicates that nine of the ten prioritized communities submitted applications by the deadline, with some receiving Program Acceptance Letters while others were conditionally approved. The bill also allows for the selection of substitute communities if any prioritized community withdraws, which led to Northampton being selected as a final participating community. The analysis will assess the net reduction in emissions from the projects and their effects on housing production and affordability, particularly for low- and moderate-income households. The DOER will continue to collect data to evaluate the project's impact and inform future policy decisions.