THE ISSUE OF NEED is of paramount importance in the matter of Kinder Morgan’s Northeast Energy Direct’s natural gas pipeline proposal. Yet need plays no part in Federal Energy Regulatory […]
Energy
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Baker defends push for hydro contracts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOPING TO PUSH two energy bills through the Legislature this fall, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday defended his push to encourage the purchase of large-scale hydropower […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Pipeline needed before it’s too late
SOME GAS OPPONENTS appear confused about the synergistic relationship between natural gas and renewables, as well as the climate benefits New England will realize with adequate natural gas pipeline capacity. […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Baker minimizes impact of net metering cap
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday urged local officials to encourage the construction of new solar energy projects, despite the fact that the cap on the amount […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Kinder Morgan’s misinformation campaign
IF YOU WATCH TELEVISION — in any of several New England markets — you’ve probably noticed the ads trying to link support for renewable energy with support for new gas […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Solar power’s benefits outweigh its costs
MASSACHUSETTS IS A LEADER in solar power and most experts will tell you that has been a good thing for homeowners, businesses, low income communities, and everyone else who pays […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker shifts course, backs solar subsidy
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION filed legislation on Friday that would expand the reach of a key solar subsidy but then attempt to rein in its cost after the state reaches its […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Energy ‘combo platter’ doesn’t need new greenfield pipelines
WE HAVE HAD TWO STRONG WINTER SEASONS in a row with high energy costs. Some have said we lack infrastructure capacity, resulting in a classic supply and demand dynamic that […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Somerset goes after carbon tax funds
AN OUTSIDE SECTION of the Legislature’s budget would use up to $3 million from a regional carbon tax to help the town of Somerset offset the loss of property tax revenue […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Baker files Canadian hydroelectricity bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Thursday filed procurement legislation to boost the state’s supply of hydropower, presumably from Canada, a goal that the governor says will increase […]
Posted inEnvironment
Region’s cap and trade program draws interest
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan is drawing a lot of attention to the carbon cap-and-trade program run by nine Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, including Massachusetts. The Clean […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, The Back Story
Baker seeks to curb solar speculators
A correction has been added to this story. THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION, which favors keeping a cap in place on one solar subsidy program, is now tinkering with another solar price support. […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Part 3: Energy rules need to change
Third of three parts OUR ENERGY SYSTEM is evolving and will look very different in years to come from what we have today. Electricity produced by solar, wind, and other […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Part 2: What states are doing on energy
Second of three parts IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, policymakers across New England may commit tens of billions of ratepayers’ dollars to gas pipelines and electric transmission that will shape […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Healey backs lifting cap on solar subsidy
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY said Monday she backs an immediate lifting of the cap on one type of solar production subsidies in Massachusetts. In written testimony […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Part 1: We’re not facing an energy crisis in New England
First of a three-part series NEW ENGLAND’S ENERGY SYSTEM is at an important juncture, but we are not facing a crisis. After last year’s winter, many argued for radical action […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
It’s time for a clean energy two-fer
MASSACHUSETTS ELECTRICITY COSTS were well above the national average in 2014 for households and businesses, according to federal data. After paying $3 billion in excess electric costs in the winter […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Mass. once again playing catchup on energy
RIGHT NOW, IT SEEMS LIKE Massachusetts remains on the slow boat to natural gas pipeline expansion, which is impacting prices for customers and reliability for power generators. The region needs […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
We need a different type of power grid
FOR MANY NEW ENGLANDERS, last winter highlighted the drawbacks of our existing energy system. We are tired of cold seeping in around windows, power outages and work stoppages from storm-damaged […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
New England governors vow to boost natural gas capacity
THE NEW ENGLAND governors met behind closed doors on energy issues in Hartford on Thursday and vowed afterwards to work collaboratively to expand the region’s natural gas pipeline capacity. What shape that […]
Posted inEnvironment
It’s time to sunburn National Grid
DURING A 2014 LEGISLATIVE HEARING, one state senator in Massachusetts compared our current utility structure to a Soviet system—bureaucratic, opaque, and inefficient with little public accountability. Hearing National Grid prevaricate […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Opinion
New England governors should lead region to a sustainable energy future
THIS WEEK THE New England governors will meet in Connecticut to discuss potential solutions to one of our region’s most serious economic challenges: the high cost of electricity and energy. […]
Posted inEnvironment
New England needs 2 new natural gas pipelines
WE NEW ENGLANDERS are a hardy bunch. We put up with nasty winters, brutal traffic, and we waited nearly a century for our beloved Sox to beat the dreaded Curse […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics
Baker all-of-the-above on energy
BAKER ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS checked “all-of-the-above” on the energy front on Tuesday, telling lawmakers on Beacon Hill that they favor expansion of the region’s natural gas pipeline capacity, back the importation […]