THE RECENT MAJOR power outages in Texas can be viewed as isolated to the particular political and electric power system design in that state, but that would be a mistake. […]
Electricity
Posted inEnvironment
Mayflower Wind cutting its price 10%
MAYFLOWER WIND is cutting its price for delivering electricity to Massachusetts customers by roughly 10 percent with the help of a new federal tax credit included in the recent COVID-19 […]
Posted inOpinion
Solar revolution is stalled, needs to shift into gear
AFTER FOUR YEARS of denying climate science and downplaying its consequences, the federal government is on the cusp of a new era. Although deep political divides persist on many issues, there is one […]
Posted inEnvironment
Top Baker aide says full steam ahead with TCI
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S top environmental official indicated on Monday that the administration is moving full steam ahead with a regional effort to put a price on the carbon contained in […]
Posted inEnvironment
N.E. governors seek bigger say in power policies
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER and four other New England governors made a push on Friday for a much bigger say in the way the region’s electricity markets are regulated and governed, […]
Posted inEnvironment
5 N.E. governors criticize grid operator
THE GOVERNORS of five of the six New England states, including Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, issued a statement that appeared to criticize the operator of the region’s power grid […]
Posted inUncategorized
Grid operator calls for ‘net carbon pricing’
THE HEAD of the organization that runs the New England power grid on Friday called for “net carbon pricing” of electricity in the region as the best way to develop […]
Posted inOpinion
School buses should go electric – here’s how
DEEP WITHIN Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan for creating a more resilient, sustainable economy is a proposal that deserves wider attention. Under the heading of “position[ing] […]
Posted inOpinion
New England needs to go all in on offshore wind
THIS WEEK, the Environmental League of Massachusetts launched a campaign to significantly increase the amount of offshore wind built off New England’s coast and deepen coordination in the region. We […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mass. in middle of Maine power fight
A group of 25 current and former Maine state lawmakers sent a letter to Hydro-Quebec on Wednesday urging the provincial utility to stop meddling in a state election battle spawned […]
Posted inUncategorized
Why peak electricity usage matters
WITH HOT AND HUMID conditions enveloping New England, demand for electricity across the region hit its highest level so far this year at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. This year’s peak experience […]
Posted inThe Download
Why peak electricity usage matters
With hot and humid conditions enveloping New England, demand for electricity across the region hit its highest level so far this year at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. This year’s peak […]
Posted inEnvironment
Healey reluctantly rejects Brookline bylaw
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY’S office on Tuesday reluctantly shot down a bylaw approved by the town of Brookline that would have barred the installation of most fossil fuel infrastructure in […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mass. becomes dirty word in Maine referendum fight
CORPORATE SURROGATES for Massachusetts have spent close to $17 million so far battling a referendum question in Maine that seeks to block the importation of hydroelectricity from Quebec using a […]
Posted inUncategorized
Boston organization stirs ire of solar advocates
A SHADOWY Boston-based organization is sending renewable energy advocates across the country into a tizzy by challenging the logic behind one of the key subsidies that has been used to spur […]
Posted inThe Download
Boston organization stirs ire of solar advocates
A shadowy Boston-based organization is sending renewable energy advocates across the country into a tizzy by challenging the logic behind one of the key subsidies that has been used to spur […]
Posted inOpinion
Putting land for solar off-limits could hurt farmers
AT A TIME when our country is already in the grips of a global pandemic and social unrest, a disagreement over an obscure solar policy may seem unimportant – trivial […]
Posted inEnvironment
Feds release Vineyard Wind environmental assessment
FEDERAL REGULATORS on Tuesday released a detailed, 420-page environmental assessment of the proposed Vineyard Wind project that includes predictions about the future of wind energy along the East Coast and […]
Posted inEnvironment
Healey calls for orderly transition away from natural gas
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY petitioned the Department of Public Utilities on Thursday to investigate how the state’s natural gas utilities should transition to a future where the fuel they are […]
Posted inOpinion
Eastie needs straight answers from Eversource
EAST BOSTON is a community that is used to having to defend itself against environmental injustices. In the 1960s, Massport’s expansion of Logan Airport led the Maverick Street Mothers to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Healey calls for exploring expanded carbon pricing
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY released a white paper on Monday that calls for the creation of a New England task force to explore expanded use of carbon pricing in electricity […]
Posted inEnvironment
Report: Utilities raised concerns on Mayflower
THE UTILITIES THAT SELECTED Mayflower Wind for the state’s second offshore wind procurement raised serious concerns at several stages of the process about the company’s ability to complete the project […]
Posted inEnvironment
Grid secures future power commitments at low price
THE OPERATOR of New England’s power grid reported on Tuesday that it secured enough electricity to meet the region’s needs three years from now at the lowest price in 14 […]
Posted inEnvironment
Vineyard Wind facing lots of hurdles
A FEDERAL REGULATOR speaking at a conference in Boston on Tuesday posted a slide suggesting Vineyard Wind would be operational in 2023, but the company itself is not saying whether […]