WE HAD PROTESTED. We had lobbied, called, emailed, and written. We had marched, rallied, and chanted. We had sat in, blocked, disrupted, and gotten arrested. None of it had stopped the insanity. […]
Electricity
Posted inEnvironment
Grid operator urges slower transition on renewables
THE NEW ENGLAND power grid operator filed a proposal with federal regulators on Monday seeking more time to come up with a system for incorporating clean energy into the region’s […]
Posted inThe Download
Grid operator urges slower transition on renewables
The New England power grid operator filed a proposal with federal regulators on Monday seeking more time to come up with a system for incorporating clean energy into the region’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Van Welie is wrong about natural gas
IN RESPONSE to Russia’s unjust invasion of Ukraine, the European Union announced it will rapidly accelerate its transition from natural gas – much of which it gets from Russia – […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Offshore wind bill sails through House
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LEGISLATION THAT lawmakers hope will turbocharge the growing offshore wind industry in Massachusetts and help the state meet its climate commitments easily sailed through the House […]
Posted inOpinion
Why we’re still using gas, oil to produce electricity
IN DECEMBER, ISO New England issued its annual winter outlook and warned of the precarious state the region’s power system would be in if a prolonged, severe cold snap developed […]
Posted inEnvironment
Healey again rejects Brookline anti-fossil fuel bylaws
FOR THE SECOND TIME Â in less than two years, Attorney General Maura Healey on Friday rejected bylaws approved by the town of Brookline placing restrictions or prohibitions on buildings incorporating […]
Posted inThe Download
Salem, once dismissed, now getting top billing on offshore wind
Salem, once considered a port with little potential for offshore wind development, is suddenly being called the centerpiece of the state’s efforts to become the Saudi Arabia of wind. At […]
Posted inUncategorized
Salem, once dismissed, now getting top billing on offshore wind
SALEM, ONCE CONSIDERED a port with little potential for offshore wind development, is suddenly being called the centerpiece of the state’s efforts to become the Saudi Arabia of wind. At […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker seeking major changes in building code
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is preparing to unveil proposed revisions to the state building code that would ratchet up energy conservation across the state and allow individual communities to opt-in to […]
Posted inThe Download
Fault lines in New England’s climate plan
Electricity in many ways is the key to the region’s climate change plans – bulk up and decarbonize the New England power grid and then use the green electricity to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Fault lines in New England’s climate plan
ELECTRICITY IN MANY WAYS is the key to the region’s climate change plans – bulk up and decarbonize the New England power grid and then use the green electricity to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Electricity costs skyrocket along with oil usage
THE NEW ENGLAND power grid kept the lights on across the region in January, but at a very high cost financially and in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. The cost […]
Posted inEnvironment
Oil powering a big chunk of power grid
NEW ENGLAND POWER plants are burning a lot more oil to generate electricity, apparently because the cost of natural gas is so high. In January last year, oil accounted for […]
Posted inEnvironment
Power grid copes with cold by burning oil, coal
THE NEW ENGLAND power grid on Tuesday coped with unusually cold temperatures and outages at several power plants and transmission lines by bringing additional power plants online and relying on […]
Posted inOpinion
A better way to pay for power grid infrastructure
MASSACHUSETTS HAS SET realistic goals for reducing carbon emissions by 2030, but it will be necessary to make regulatory and policy updates to achieve those benchmarks. Fortunately, the Massachusetts Department […]
Posted inEnvironment
Maine judge deals blow to Mass. climate change plan
A MAINE JUDGE dealt a blow on Thursday to a key Massachusetts initiative to address climate change by importing hydroelectricity via a 145-mile transmission line running from Quebec down to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Maine judge to rule quickly on transmission line injunction
MAINE DISTRICT Court Judge Michael Duddy said on Wednesday that he would rule in the next two days on whether to grant a preliminary injunction putting on hold a law […]
Posted inEnvironment
Grid operator nervous about energy constraints
THE HEAD OF THE New England power grid said on Monday that energy supply constraints in the region continue to make him nervous, and he said the situation has been […]
Posted inOpinion
Every electron is not neutral
WE NEW ENGLANDERS have a spectacular opportunity to move rapidly from polluting fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. This transition will benefit us all: It will slow climate change, reduce […]
Posted inEnvironment
Power politics in Maine
MASSACHUSETTS OFFICIALS are counting on a Maine court to overturn a law passed in early November by 59 percent of Maine voters so a power line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec […]
Posted inOpinion
Power grid operator needs a makeover
THE LARGEST OFFSHORE wind project in the nation is coming to the waters off Massachusetts, setting our Commonwealth up to be a global leader in clean energy that can deliver […]
Posted inEnvironment
Maine DEP suspends license of hydro transmission line
THE MAINE Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday suspended the license it issued for a Massachusetts-financed transmission line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec until a court either halts enforcement of or […]
Posted inOpinion
Electricity supplier gets attack on AG wrong
THIS WINTER, residential customers should be wary of competitive electric suppliers taking advantage of rising electric bills to lure new customers. We have all heard the stories of these predatory […]