VINEYARD WIND, the company seeking to build a large wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, faced some uncertainty on Wednesday after federal regulators said they wouldn’t be taking […]
Energy
Posted inOpinion
Mass. carbon tax: Poor bang for buck
ON THE MATTER of climate change, politicians have reached a point where they will throw anything they have at the problem without a thought to the economic consequences or, for […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t end competitive electricity market
IN 1998, MASSACHUSETTS made the groundbreaking decision to deregulated the electricity industry – declaring for themselves that they should have the right to choose their electric supplier. Now, more than […]
Posted inEnvironment
Despite emissions concerns, Hydro-Quebec contracts OK’d
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES on Tuesday approved massive hydro-electricity contracts between the state’s three utilities and Hydro-Quebec, rejecting arguments from a broad range of skeptics questioning the environmental […]
Posted inOpinion
Biomass regulatory changes no big deal
WE AT THE MASSACHUSETTS Forest Alliance read with interest Mary Booth’s recent CommonWealth op-ed, “Get Ready for Another Biomass Battle.” She addresses proposed regulatory changes to the Renewable Portfolio Standard […]
Posted inUncategorized
Perfect port an elusive goal for East Coast offshore wind
NORTHEAST SEAPORTS ARE inadequate to meet the needs of the offshore wind industry, and ideas for filling that gap could create tension between the sometimes competing goals of those overseeing […]
Posted inOpinion
Hydro power is good, but safeguards needed
MASSACHUSETTS IS ON THE FRONT LINES of the climate crisis. Residents are already grappling with the effects of a changing climate on the coasts and in our communities. In response […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
State: New toxins data don’t change stance on Weymouth gas facility
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DESPITE CONCEDING that a handful of samples showed concentrations of toxins above standard limits, state regulators believe a new batch of air-quality data does not change […]
Posted inEnvironment
Crowd-sourcing energy efficiency
EVERSOURCE ENERGY on Wednesday began offering businesses and homeowners incentive payments ranging from $20 to $1,000 a year if they allow the company to tap into devices that would allow […]
Posted inOpinion
Debunking the fracked gas fairy tale
IN APRIL, Tom Andrews wrote an opinion piece that appeared in CommonWealth calling for more fracked gas energy, claiming it “plays a critical role when it comes to cost and […]
Posted inEnvironment
Energy forecast: Good today, future uncertain
THE FORECAST FOR TODAY calls for mostly sunny skies with the high temperature in the upper 60s and the low around 52 degrees. It’s ideal weather from an energy perspective […]
Posted inThe Download
Energy forecast: Good today, future uncertain
The forecast for today calls for mostly sunny skies with the high temperature in the upper 60s and the low around 52 degrees. It’s ideal weather from an energy perspective […]
Posted inOpinion
Carbon pricing needed to address climate change
IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT to see the path forward on climate change. There are so many variables and misdirections. How do we address cow belches – one of the most […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mass. to double offshore wind procurements
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is pushing ahead with plans to double the procurement of offshore wind power over the next several years, a move that will increase wind’s share of the […]
Posted inPolitics
What’s in your electricity bill?
It’s a simple question – what charges are contained in your electricity bill? But the answer isn’t that simple. Indeed, there’s a lot more going on with your bill than […]
Posted inUncategorized
Weymouth gas compressor permit based on incomplete data
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LAST YEAR, the Department of Environmental Protection sent air samples from the site of a proposed natural gas compressor station to a private laboratory and asked […]
Posted inOpinion
Get ready for another biomass battle
REMEMBER THE BIG FIGHT about biomass as renewable energy in Massachusetts in the mid-2000s? We’re in the middle of another one. About 10 years ago, the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard […]
Posted inEconomy
State turns profit on GE HQ sale
MAYBE LESS IS MORE in Fort Point. Since announcing it would move to Boston in 2016, General Electric has scaled down the scope of its business, and on Thursday it […]
Posted inOpinion
DPU failing to protect Mass. consumers
MASSACHUSETTS UTILITY CUSTOMERS who switched to competitive electricity suppliers paid $177 million more over a two-year period than if they had stayed with the local utility company (National Grid, Eversource, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Transportation
How does that T energy efficiency program work?
THE MBTA plans to spend about $30 million over the next three years on energy efficiency measures, with more than 40 percent of the cost covered by $12.5 million in […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t repeal the offshore wind price cap
MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS showed some healthy skepticism about the workings of corporate America back in 2016 when they mandated that giant offshore wind farms would be part of the Commonwealth’s energy […]
Posted inEnvironment
DPU gives $168m offshore wind bonus to utilities
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES approved multibillion dollar offshore wind contracts with Vineyard Wind on Friday and, over the objections of Attorney General Maura Healey, authorized the state’s three […]
Posted inUncategorized
It’s time for power grid to look at benefits of offshore wind
The New England region is home to policies aimed at significant reductions in greenhouse gases. Each of the six New England states has renewable portfolio standards that set targets for […]
Posted inOpinion
We need both renewables and natural gas
RENEWABLE ENERGY and natural gas aren’t an “either/or” choice for New England: Now and for years to come, they’re a “both/and” necessity to ensure we have a reliable, affordable energy […]
