EVERSOURCE ENERGY FACES a monumental lobbying challenge this year – convincing Beacon Hill lawmakers to pass legislation allowing electric ratepayers to finance the construction of a natural gas pipeline into […]
Environment
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Eversource solar hikes unwarranted
I READ WITH INTEREST the story entitled “Eversource seeks higher fees on customers with solar.” In several instances, the utility’s stated reasons for its proposed fee hikes for customers with […]
Posted inEnvironment
New solar plan cuts subsidies in half
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION UNVEILED a next-generation solar incentive plan on Tuesday that is expected to cut in half the subsidies paid by the state’s electric ratepayers while giving developers more […]
Posted inEnvironment
Governors can wield influence over pipelines
WITH NEW FEDERAL ENERGY POLICIES evolving to be starkly at odds with our priorities in Massachusetts, it is vital that we understand what authority our state has to influence controversial […]
Posted inEnvironment
Eversource seeks big distribution rate hike
EVERSOURCE ON TUESDAY SOUGHT regulatory approval for a hefty increase in its distribution rates, a move that has the potential to sharply increase monthly utility bills in its service areas […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Three cheers for natural gas
NATURAL GAS HAS BEEN a resounding environmental success story for Massachusetts that has delivered every benefit environmentalists predicted it would back in the 1990s. Continued access to reliable supplies of […]
Posted inEnvironment
Renewables not cheap
IN DECEMBER, A company called CleanChoice Energy mailed out a sales pitch to electricity customers in eastern Massachusetts. The letter acknowledged that 100 percent renewable energy from solar and wind […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Boost the Renewable Portfolio Standard
AT THE SAME TIME president-elect Donald Trump has loudly promised job creation measures, he has also vowed to invest in fossil fuel expansion, including the coal industry. These two promises […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker sets emission reduction targets
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is taking aim at power plants and using a lighter touch with private vehicles as it seeks to comply with a court order requiring the state to […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Eversource finds a loophole
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF AN EVERSOURCE/DONG Energy joint venture for offshore wind development should send shivers up the spine of anyone who recalls the strategy behind restructuring the Massachusetts electric industry […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Winter reliability efforts go only so far
ISO NEW ENGLAND, the operator of the region’s power system, recently announced that electricity supplies should be sufficient to meet the region’s demand for electricity this winter barring “unexpected resource […]
Posted inEnvironment
DONG, Eversource form Bay State Wind
DONG ENERGY, one of three companies vying for offshore wind contracts from Massachusetts, on Tuesday announced a 50-50 partnership with Eversource Energy, a well-connected regional utility that has crafted similar […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
The Trump threat on energy
WHILE DONALD TRUMP’S VICTORY has sent many shock waves, perhaps there’s none more immediate than those now coursing through New England’s progressive energy policy. That policy has led the nation […]
Posted inEnvironment
Power grid operator sounds alarms
OFFICIALS CHARGED WITH KEEPING the lights on in New England raised alarm bells on Thursday about what might happen if the region’s natural gas pipeline infrastructure is not expanded. Gordon […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Eversource pushing big solar project
EVERSOURCE ENERGY, a fierce opponent of solar subsidies on Beacon Hill, is seeking state approval to build solar farms across Massachusetts. A spokesman for the utility said the net cost […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
With renewables, intermittency is a problem
Progress continues in the New England clean energy revolution: Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island recently announced their intention to negotiate seven power contracts with wind and solar developers selected through […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Pipelines are obsolete technology
I STRENUOUSLY DISAGREE with the recent opinion piece by Ian Bowles in which he argues that, “with rapid departure of all of the remaining coal and nuclear power plants in Massachusetts, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
MA must continue to lead on energy
A NEW PRESIDENT always means change in key public policy matters. Before sharing my thoughts about what this transition means for our energy priorities in Massachusetts, I want to share […]
Posted inEnvironment
Eversource winter price to drop 8%
EVERSOURCE ENERGY said its customers will pay about 8 percent less this winter for electricity, suggesting that constraints on natural gas supplies coming into the region won’t have a major […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Baker confirms probe of environmental police
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE of Energy and Environmental Affairs is investigating allegations of environmental police officers spending portions of the work day at home and receiving overtime […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Robbing MIT to pay international reactor
THE DECADES-LONG QUEST to produce inexpensive carbon-free energy from nuclear fusion is making tangible progress. There is much work ahead but recent research is bringing the elusive goal into clearer […]
Posted inEnvironment
Eversource confident on gas pipeline project
EVERSOURCE ENERGY officials confidently predicted this week they would begin construction of the $3 billion Access Northeast natural gas pipeline in 2019 and floated several possible ways to finance it. […]
Posted inEnvironment
Gas pipeline dealt possibly fatal blow
THE PUSH FOR A NEW PIPELINE into New England may have been dealt a fatal blow when Connecticut officials called off a process to procure more natural gas largely because […]
Posted inEnvironment
MA, CT, and RI to negotiate wind, solar deals
MASSACHUSETTS, CONNECTICUT, AND RHODE ISLAND announced on Tuesday that they intend to negotiate seven power purchase contracts with wind and solar developers selected through an unusual three-state bidding process. The […]
