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 […]
Energy
Posted inUncategorized
Brayton Pt. manufacturing facility part of wind farm procurement
MASSACHUSETTS’ THIRD and largest offshore wind procurement brought with it some significant and unexpected onshore benefits, including a subsea transmission cable manufacturing facility at beleaguered Brayton Point in Somerset and […]
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 inPolitics
Chang-Diaz backs green new deal
ADVOCATES FOR a “green new deal” in Massachusetts gained another major backer on Thursday, as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sonia Chang-Diaz came out in support of fare-free public transit and rapid deployment […]
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 inOpinion
Mass. urgently needs a Plan B for TCI
THE CANCELLATION of the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), a centerpiece of the Commonwealth’s efforts to combat climate change, is deeply disappointing, because transportation causes over 40 percent of all greenhouse […]
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
Learning the ins and outs of charging your car
OVER THE NEXT few weeks, thousands of motorists will be traveling the highways of Massachusetts and beyond to see friends and family for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Amidst the […]
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 […]
Posted inThe Download
Mass.-financed power line in Maine is a mess
After a day-long Zoom hearing Monday on the proposed transmission line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec into Maine, there is only one conclusion: What a mess. The transmission line, designed to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mass.-financed power line in Maine is a mess
AFTER A DAY-LONG Zoom hearing Monday on the proposed transmission line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec into Maine, there is only one conclusion: What a mess. The transmission line, designed to […]
Posted inOpinion
Where women lead, a healthier world follows
MICHELLE WU is the first woman and first person of color elected to lead Boston and this, among other things, is a major victory for climate justice. She acknowledges the public […]
Posted inTransportation
Rhode Island makes it trifecta on TCI
CONNECTICUT GOV. NED LAMONT dropped out on Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts called it quits on Thursday, and now Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee is pulling his state out of […]
Posted inOpinion
Baker’s new biomass rules are step backward
HERE’S A QUICK tip for greening our heat and power: if you need to set it on fire, it isn’t clean. That should be the guiding principle for the state’s […]
Posted inThe Download
A first step on offshore wind
Federal, state, and local officials gathered on Cape Cod Thursday for a ceremonial groundbreaking for Vineyard Wind, the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the United States. It was a […]
Posted inEnvironment
A first step on offshore wind
FEDERAL, STATE, and local officials gathered on Cape Cod Thursday for a ceremonial groundbreaking for Vineyard Wind, the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the United States. It was a […]
Posted inEnvironment, Transportation
Baker pulls the plug on transportation climate initiative
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER threw in the towel on his transportation climate initiative on Thursday just days after Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut did the same thing in his state. “The […]
Posted inTransportation
Lamont puts TCI on hold in Connecticut
CONNECTICUT GOV. Ned Lamont on Tuesday said he is putting on hold his pursuit of the Transportation Climate Initiative, leaving Massachusetts in a precarious, go-it-alone position as the regional cap-and-trade […]
Posted inOpinion
Canadians call for new era of power grid diplomacy
FORMER QUEBEC premier Robert Bourassa passed away 25 years ago last month. In his 1985 book, Power from the North, he presented a passionate, articulate, and convincing argument to pursue […]
Posted inOpinion
Unitil settlement proves Healey wrong
AFTER NEARLY THREE YEARS of asserting that utility basic service is always a better deal for residential consumers than retail choice, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey just proved herself spectacularly […]