Massachusetts announced $23 million in clean energy grants covering geothermal connections and campus energy efficiency upgrades at multiple public colleges and state facilities. The awards are under the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources’ Leading by Example Decarbonization Implementation Program, aimed at reducing on-site fossil fuel emissions. The portfolio includes projects at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Boston, and Amherst, as well as Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Salem State University, plus the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and Development Services. The combined projects are expected to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 21,000 metric tons and lower long-term costs for taxpayers. Notable allocations include $7.35 million for a 5-MW industrial heat pump at UMass Amherst’s central heating plant using waste heat to produce low-pressure steam. UMass Boston received $5.3 million for a campuswide decarbonization plan that replaces gas boilers with electric heat shift chillers using existing seawater pumping infrastructure. The package also funds geothermal connectivity and system integration at UMass Dartmouth and multiple buildings at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Salem State University via the state facilities division’s geothermal work.