The Baker administration, after months of silence, issued a cryptic statement suggesting it is reviewing the legal status of a controversial scrap metal operation using a state-owned pier at Brayton […]
Electricity
Posted inOpinion
Stop sweetheart deals with state utilities
Electrifying buildings and appliances that now run on gas, oil, and other fossil fuels will be a key piece of meeting Massachusetts’ climate targets. The region’s investor-owned utilities will be […]
Posted inOpinion
No justification for proposed Peabody gas plant
THE MASSACHUSETTS Municipal Wholesale Electric Company and the staff at some participating municipal light plants say that building a new, 60-megawatt combined natural gas and oil peaker power plant in […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics
Environmental League targets muni light plants
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WHEN MARBLEHEAD voters get to the polls June 22, they’ll have their pick of candidates: 14 options for the Select Board, two choices for the School […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to prioritize offshore wind supply chain
THE TIME HAS COME to meet the promise of new jobs from the offshore wind industry. The main driver in my legislative support for offshore wind was the potential for […]
Posted inOpinion
Solar gone wrong
JESSICA ROBERTSON and Daniel Berwick would be well-advised to take the advice they offer in their recent opinion piece that we should “shift the conversation from where solar shouldn’t go […]
Posted inOpinion
The municipal solution to climate change
AROUND THE WORLD, in the White House, and at our State House, leaders are finally beginning to respond to the climate challenge. Here in Massachusetts, we can take pride in […]
Posted inOpinion
Proposed Peabody gas plant, now on hold, makes sense
IT SHOULD COME as no surprise that people have questions and concerns when one of the leaders in clean energy in Massachusetts proposes building a new gas-fired power plant in […]
Posted inOpinion
Without grid investments, clean power goals may not be met
AT A TIME our nation and the New England area faces the challenge of fostering economic recovery in the wake of a global pandemic, investment in our electricity transmission system […]
Posted inOpinion
Biomass is false solution to climate change
FOR TOO LONG, burning wood has been wrongly considered “clean” energy, when in fact it is bad for both the climate and human health. With two recent decisions, Massachusetts seems poised […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
State begins 3d procurement for offshore wind
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE’S ELECTRIC utilities and the Baker administration are back in the market for another offshore wind contract, this time seeking up to twice as much […]
Posted inOpinion
Green projects are the future, but government must do its part
MASSACHUSETTS HAS ONCE AGAIN stepped into a leadership position on climate change with passage of the Next Generation Roadmap, legislation that backs up the Commonwealth’s commitment to achieving net zero […]
Posted inOpinion
In dealing with climate change, don’t forget solar, storage
LAST MONTH, Gov. Charlie Baker signed landmark climate change legislation. Press coverage that focused on the sparring between the governor and the Legislature over the details obscured the bigger story, […]
Posted inEnvironment
Throwing up roadblocks to Quebec hydroelectricity
OFFSHORE WIND appears to be slowly getting back on track, but Massachusetts’ other big bet on clean energy – hydroelectricity from Quebec – is far from a sure thing. A […]
Posted inOpinion
The real work begins now on climate change
THIS SPRING, as flowers and trees begin to bloom in New England, our clean energy industry is also ready to blossom after decades of delays and setbacks. Last month Gov. […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker retreats more on biomass power plants
REACTING TO STRONG public opposition, the Baker administration on Friday continued its retreat from measures that would have allowed a power plant fueled by wood to be constructed in Springfield. […]
Posted inOpinion
Climate change law codifies environmental justice
MASSACHUSETTS RECENTLY took a significant step towards addressing the problem of climate change, passing An Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy. In addition to important provisions aimed at […]
Posted inEnvironment
Angry Somerset residents elect ally to select board
SOMERSET VOTERS, angry about noisy and dirty businesses operating out of an industrial site that was supposed to be a staging ground for the state’s offshore wind industry, elected an […]
Posted inThe Download
New Bedford mayor calls offshore wind ‘generational opportunity’
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell is of two minds about Vineyard Wind, which after lengthy regulatory delays seems poised to finally get underway. The mayor is excited about the potential […]
Posted inUncategorized
New Bedford mayor calls offshore wind ‘generational opportunity’
NEW BEDFORD MAYOR Jon Mitchell is of two minds about Vineyard Wind, which after lengthy regulatory delays seems poised to finally get underway. The mayor is excited about the potential […]
Posted inOpinion
Municipal Light Plant elections loom large
WHEN GOV. CHARLIE BAKER signed the Next Generation Roadmap bill, Massachusetts became legally required to reduce its emissions 50 percent by 2030, and be net-zero by 2050. The backbone of […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker pulls plug on Springfield biomass power plant
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION pulled the plug on a controversial biomass power plant in Springfield on Friday amid growing pushback from opponents who viewed the burning of wood to produce electricity […]
Posted inEnvironment
Somerset struggles amid slow rollout of offshore wind
WHEN A ST. LOUIS company bought the massive coal-fired Brayton Point power plant in Somerset in 2018, the firm was viewed far and wide as a white knight riding to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Biden administration moves forward on Vineyard Wind
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION on Monday released its final environmental impact statement on the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project and indicated the analysis could gain final approval soon, paving the way […]