ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
CommonWealth Beacon breaks down the latest energy and environmental policy news in Massachusetts, including moves in renewable energy, conservation, and innovation.
Tucked in House energy bill, a ‘big breakthrough’ on competitive electric suppliers
Now that the House took concrete steps to rein in competitive suppliers through the current energy legislation under debate, there could be a path forward this year to taking action.
Shifting politics around data centers scramble Healey AI push
A backlash to data centers is scrambling whether and how the AI industry takes hold in Massachusetts, how it plays politically for Democrats in a deep-blue state, and how state officials manage the tradeoffs.
Ratepayer revolt: Has the affordability debate soured Mass. on climate commitments?
Fighting climate change was once a badge of honor in Massachusetts, embraced by virtually all Democrats and even a lot of Republicans. But as households grapple with soaring energy bills, elected officials have become much more squeamish about the topic.
Healey’s shift toward nuclear energy raises affordability, feasibility questions
The argument for nuclear is, in some ways, simple. It doesn’t generate greenhouse gas emissions and reliably produces power. But it’s no slam dunk either. Building new nuclear facilities is notoriously expensive and time-consuming.
Housatonic Valley residents grapple with a PCB disposal site planned for construction this spring
People and wildlife in the Housatonic River Valley have been living among PCBs since the 1930s, when GE began disposing of them improperly during the manufacture of electrical transformers.
House passes landmark energy bill with deep cuts to Mass Save, sending it to Senate
The legislation reflects the larger tradeoffs around energy policy as Beacon Hill grapples with rising power demand, soaring costs, and quickly approaching climate commitments.
House tees up sprawling energy package that would cut $1B from Mass Save
The legislation thrust Beacon Hill’s Democratic supermajority into a fierce debate when an earlier version of the bill that would have weakened the state’s 2030 climate targets advanced out of committee.
Mass. falling short of key climate targets, with some bright spots, after one year of Trump attacks
The state’s self-assessment comes as it races to reduce its carbon pollution to 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and produce no new net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 — all while confronting a hostile federal government and an affordability crisis sweeping the state.
Governor’s budget proposal seeks to trim environmental programs roughly 4 percent
The impact of the federal reconciliation package enacted by President Trump last year coupled with slower growth are forcing Healey to reexamine funding across the board. EEA is not immune from the shifting budget landscape.
Mass. climate chief missed her own deadline to calculate the cost of state’s climate commitments
Hoffer set out to put a price tag on the state’s net-zero climate commitment and develop a menu of options for how to pay for it. That price is still not yet known more than a year after the report was due.
Was a vote to seize Northeastern University land for conservation in ‘bad faith’?
The justices grappled with when it might be necessary for them to probe the intentions of a town meeting, in this case by digging into whether Nahant is trying to make legitimate use of eminent domain power to preserve coastal land for public use or engaged in a cynical attempt to block future development.
Cold weather threatens to take bite out of Healey’s energy savings bid
If consistently below-average temperatures drag deeper into the winter, the average ratepayer might still wind up with comparatively higher bills as their heating systems use more energy to warm homes.
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