Massachusetts awarded $23 million in clean energy grants to projects at nine public colleges and state facilities under the Leading by Example Decarbonization Implementation Program. Governor Maura Healey said the supported installations—ranging from geothermal connections to energy-efficiency retrofits—are expected to cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by 21,000 metric tons. Key awards include $7.35 million for heat pump installation at UMass Amherst to use waste heat for steam production, and $5.3 million for UMass Boston’s campuswide plan to replace gas boilers with electric heat shift chillers tied to an existing seawater pumping system. The grants also include geothermal projects at UMass Dartmouth, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and Salem State University, along with support for the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance. The package provides near-term capital for emissions reductions while reinforcing how energy infrastructure choices are increasingly central to facilities planning, budgeting, and campus climate commitments.