CLARIFICATION: The original version of this story twice likened putting a price on carbon to putting a tax on carbon, but a sponsor of the legislation said it is not […]
Plugging In
Posted inOpinion
Clouds over Mass. solar industry
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT, just a decade ago, seeing solar panels was a novelty in neighborhoods across Massachusetts. Today, that’s all changed. Solar projects are ubiquitous across the Commonwealth – […]
Posted inOpinion
No 7th inning stretch needed, just clean energy home runs
This commentary was written by Joel Wool. I’VE NEVER BEEN A FAN of baseball metaphors. If we’re talking efficient use of energy rather than exercise or entertainment, it’s hard to […]
Posted inOpinion
On clean energy, we need a 7th inning stretch
HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS we guard against exuberance and premature celebration. We know no lead is safe at Fenway Park, that it’s wrong to put away snow shovels on March 1, […]
Posted inOpinion
Region’s power grid is changing dramatically
APRIL 21, 2018 was an historic date for the New England power grid: It was the first time that mid-day peak energy demand from the power grid was lower than […]
Posted inThe Back Story
Is Baker getting carried away with offshore wind?
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER may have gotten a little carried away on Wednesday talking about the “terrific pricing” the state is going to get for offshore wind power. “People are going […]
Posted inOpinion
New York is a bad neighbor to New England
DEAR NEW ENGLAND: As a rule of thumb, I generally don’t feel bad for anyone who roots for the Bruins or the Patriots. But lately, I’ve re-considered such feelings. New […]
Posted inEnvironment
Some Mainers question hydro-electricity line for MA
MAINE, JUST LIKE NEW HAMPSHIRE, seems to be having some second thoughts about a transmission line selected by Massachusetts to carry hydro-electricity from Quebec into New England. Four key lawmakers […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker makes bold bet on offshore wind
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION placed a bold bet on the economic and environmental benefits of offshore wind Wednesday, selecting one company to build an 800 megawatt wind farm off the coast […]
Posted inEnvironment
NH court OKs novel pipeline financing approach
THE NEW HAMPSHIRE SUPREME COURT took a very different stand than its counterpart in Massachusetts on Tuesday, ruling that electric utilities in the Granite State could tap their ratepayers for […]
Posted inOpinion
Offshore wind rush is irresponsible
In an April opinion piece, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wrote that “affordable, reliable, and abundant American energy drives domestic jobs and prosperity.” If by “drives domestic jobs and prosperity” Zinke […]
Posted inOpinion
Eversource: Time to rein in competitive electricity suppliers
AT EVERSOURCE, we’re always working to serve our customers better. Whether it be by continually improving service reliability, enhancing the communication channels available to our customers, or providing straightforward answers […]
Posted inOpinion
Natural gas is not a clean fuel
In a CommonWealth op-ed, Craig Altemose of 350 Massachusetts for a Better Future criticized the Boston Globe editorial board’s advocacy for new natural gas pipelines, for reasons with which I […]
Posted inEnvironment
Exelon sets its price for keeping Everett plants open
EXELON GENERATION told federal regulators on Wednesday that it is willing to keep operating two power plants and a liquefied natural gas facility in Everett from 2022 to 2024 if […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics
Kulik: Pipeline resistance strong in House
THE LEADER OF THE ANTI-PIPELINE FORCES in the House said on Wednesday that the coalition remains strong and could probably defeat any legislative bid to have electric ratepayers finance a […]
Posted inOpinion
Union official backs Bay State Wind
OFFSHORE WIND BECAME A FOCUS for Massachusetts more than 10 years ago, and I have been caught up by it and am now engaged in the process of making it […]
Posted inEnvironment
Another skirmish in the pipeline wars
THE LATEST PIPELINE SKIRMISH centers around the two-week cold snap New England endured at the end of December and early January. Massachusetts businesses groups last week released a study that […]
Posted inOpinion
Obama saw a key role for natural gas
MASSACHUSETTS HAS A LONG HISTORY of leading the nation through innovative programs and establishing tough standards that improve public health and environmental protection. From some of the nation’s earliest innovative […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker goes slow on smart meters
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION authorized the state’s utilities to spend $220 million over the next three years upgrading the power grid to accommodate renewables, electricity storage, and more efficient ways of […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to hit the off switch on electricity sellers
IN 1997, MASSACHUSETTS PASSED the Electric Restructuring Act to “promote the prosperity and general welfare of its citizens . . . by restructuring the electricity industry in the Commonwealth to […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Do Healey, Baker have a truce?
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY and the Baker administration engaged in an interesting political dance on Tuesday at a legislative hearing on what to do about companies that sell electricity to […]
Posted inOpinion
What’s up with the Globe and natural gas?
GIVEN THE LONG HISTORY of the Boston Globe’s editorial board advocacy for consumers and the environment, including its current strong criticism of regulation rollbacks by the Trump administration, it is […]
Posted inOpinion
Build offshore wind farms, transmission separately
LARGE QUANTITIES OF OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY are on the horizon in Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey, as state governments have recognized that offshore wind power is not only clean […]
Posted inOpinion
Governor, move more quickly on offshore wind
The following is a letter sent to Gov. Charlie Baker by the heads of 12 environmental groups. ON BEHALF OF THE UNDERSIGNED organizations and our hundreds of thousands of members […]
