Gordon van Welie, the president and CEO of ISO-New England, says there are four pillars that support the regional power grid his organization oversees, and all four are showing signs […]
Energy
Posted inUncategorized
The air traffic controller of electricity
GORDON VAN WELIE, the president and CEO of ISO-New England, says there are four pillars that support the regional power grid his organization oversees, and all four are showing signs […]
Posted inEnvironment
Senate climate bill goes granular, ups electric vehicle rebates
SENATE LEADERSHIP unveiled a very prescriptive $250 million climate change bill on Thursday that would direct Gov. Charlie Baker and his successor to boost rebates for zero emission vehicles, allow […]
Posted inOpinion
Moving the needle on climate change by not eating
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. […]
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 inThe Download
Scrap metal operation shuts down in Somerset
At around 7 p.m. Monday night, the clanging sound of scrap metal being loaded onto a ship at Brayton Point in Somerset appeared to come to a halt. According to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Scrap metal operation shuts down in Somerset
AT AROUND 7 p.m. Monday night, the clanging sound of scrap metal being loaded onto a ship at Brayton Point in Somerset appeared to come to a halt. According to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Brayton Point scrap metal business asks for more time
A clarification has been added to this story. THE BATTLE over the scrap metal heap at Brayton Point in Somerset looks like it’s going to go down to the wire. […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service, Transportation
Senate seeks fixed date for bus electrification
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WARNING THAT the pace of electrification underway for the MBTA’s bus fleet is “too slow for the Legislature,” a top senator is newly forecasting that his […]
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 inUncategorized
Decision, judgment in Brayton Pt. case
What follows is the decision and judgment by Land Court Judge Robert B. Foster. The decision was converted from a PDF to a Word document, so some formatting is a […]
Posted inEnvironment
Judge orders shutdown of Brayton Pt. scrap metal operation
A STATE LAND COURT JUDGE on Monday ordered a scrap metal operation at Brayton Point in Somerset to shut down within the next two weeks after concluding that the operation […]
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 inEnvironment, State House News Service
2 senators say proposed building code comes up short
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS THE DEPARTMENT of Energy Resources launches hearings on its straw proposal for a stretch code update and a new municipal opt-in specialized stretch code, two […]
Posted inEnvironment
New offshore wind bill drops electric bill charges
HOUSE LEADERS on Tuesday abandoned a proposal to hike electric ratepayer bills as they pulled together the votes needed to pass legislation offering significant financial incentives to the offshore wind […]
Posted inOpinion
We demand our gas utilities shift to renewables
ONE MORNING, as Elena was walking her children to school, her 8-year-old son suddenly said: “Mom, I smell gas!” He was smelling gas from one of Massachusetts’s 15,000 unrepaired leaks, […]
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 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 inEnvironment, State House News Service
Meeting Mass. emission targets about to get bit tougher
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE ENERGY and environmental officials responsible for making sure Massachusetts meets its greenhouse gas emissions reductions commitments already had their work cut out for them […]
Posted inEnvironment
Two soundings from Somerset
IT WAS FITTING that Rep. Patricia Haddad would take a bow at a gathering on Thursday in Somerset celebrating the purchase of 47 acres at Brayton Point by an Italian […]
Posted inUncategorized
A downpayment on Somerset’s offshore wind dream
THE DREAM of transforming Brayton Point in Somerset into a hub of the offshore wind industry took a major step forward on Thursday, as an Italian manufacturer of subsea cable […]
Posted inUncategorized
Brayton Point finally lands offshore wind supplier
BRAYTON POINT in Somerset is finally getting a piece of the offshore wind industry it has been courting for years, but the industrial prize is apparently not big enough to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Natural gas infrastructure a climate change sticking point
AS MASSACHUSETTS SEEKS to transition away from fossil fuels and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, what to do with the state’s existing natural gas infrastructure is becoming a major […]