Q: Why are the two candidates running for governor, Democrat Maura Healey and Republican Geoff Diehl, arguing about natural gas pipelines that never got built? A: It’s actually a very […]
Plugging In
Energy and the Environment
Posted inEnergy, State House News Service
State’s largest solar field opens in Ludlow
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A RENEWABLE ENERGY project in Ludlow will soon start generating enough power for more than 1,500 homes, boosters said as they cut the ribbon Monday on the […]
Posted inOpinion
Putin’s aggression is being felt in our electric bills
The announcement this week that Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other oil-producing countries — known as OPEC plus — are planning to cut output and inflate gas prices for drivers makes it clear […]
Posted inOpinion
Climate bill gained through omission
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER in August signed into law a comprehensive bill to address climate change. The bill includes provisions designed to reach a net zero carbon goal by 2050 by promoting […]
Posted inEnergy
Somerville’s new electricity contract offers some hope
SOMERVILLE THIS WEEK offered some hope to those worried about the high cost of electricity ever since National Grid said its basic service rate would be jumping to a record […]
Posted inEnergy, State House News Service
Who’s up next in pilot banning fossil fuels?
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WEST TISBURY officials have asked to formally withdraw from a new pilot program allowing a group of cities and towns to restrict fossil fuel infrastructure in […]
Posted inOpinion
New fed law offers big clean energy incentives
THE INFLATION REDUCTION Act has over $300 billion in incentives for clean energy–solar and wind, geothermal and green hydrogen, batteries, and heat pumps–incentives that mean businesses that invest in clean […]
Posted inEconomy, Energy
Here are some ways to lower your electric bill
MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS HAVE some options to avoid – or at least sidestep for awhile — the sky-high electricity rates coming this winter. National Grid provided a glimpse of what’s coming […]
Posted inEnergy
Healey calls National Grid rate hike ‘devastating’
A correction has been added to this story. A SPOKESWOMAN for Attorney General Maura Healey, who represents ratepayers in proceedings before utility regulators, warned that National Grid’s electricity rate hike […]
Posted inEnergy
National Grid says electricity prices to skyrocket
NATIONAL GRID said the price of electricity it supplies to customers in Massachusetts this winter is going to skyrocket to record levels because the cost of natural gas, the primary […]
Posted inEnergy
Provincetown hooked up to large electricity battery
ONE OF THE LARGEST electric batteries in the nation is starting to provide backup power for Provincetown and will soon do the same for Truro and part of Wellfleet. The […]
Posted inOpinion
Federal funds, used wisely, can tackle climate change
AMERICANS CAN FINALLY breathe clean air and a sigh of relief as we see the path ahead to our clean energy future. For decades, the prospects for a livable future […]
Posted inEnergy
5 New England states seek info on transmission issues
FIVE OF THE SIX New England states have launched an effort to better coordinate the process of bringing ashore electricity produced by offshore wind farms and feeding the power into […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Maine court revives Mass.-financed hydroelectric power line
THE MAINE SUPREME Judicial Court on Tuesday breathed new life into a Massachusetts-financed power line designed to carry hydroelectricity from Canada to Lewiston and from there into the New England […]
Posted inEnergy
Grid operator, utilities call for energy reserve
THE OPERATOR of the New England power grid and six of the region’s major utilities are calling on state and federal policymakers to develop an “energy reserve” that can be […]
Posted inEnergy, Opinion
Federal aid shows hydrogen is here to stay
IN A RESIDENTIAL neighborhood on suburban Long Island, a clean energy technology that is both old and new could be the answer to eliminating carbon emissions from the entire economy […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. needs to be as bold on drought as it is on climate
WE CAN’T have climate action without drought action. Massachusetts is appropriately regarded as a leader when it comes to climate change and environmental policy. Just this month the Legislature passed, and […]
Posted inEducation, Energy, Environment, Opinion
Schools are missing from the state’s climate plan
ON THURSDAY, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a landmark climate bill which affirms, for the first time, that schools are part of the state’s leadership on climate. What’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Now is the time to triple down on renewables
RECENTLY, BOTH branches of the Massachusetts Legislature approved a new compromise climate bill. This legislation, which now sits on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk for review, represents significant progress as the […]
Posted inOpinion
Climate bill needed for environmental, equity reasons
THE CLEAN ENERGY legislation on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk opens the door for marginalized communities across the Commonwealth to share in the many benefits of the fight against climate change. […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Uncertain times for Daloisio, Clean Energy Center
JENNIFER DALOISIO and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center are both facing a bit of uncertainty. The agency, a key cog in the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is about […]
Posted inOpinion
Pass ebike legislation, reward car-lite living
THE STATE Legislature and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation need to keep their eye on the real transportation goal for the state – maintaining and increasing the number of people […]
Posted inOpinion
National Grid has a vision for fossil-free heat
FOR THOSE INCLINED to reference Greek mythology when discussing Massachusetts energy policy, the attributes of Greek architecture may provide a better blueprint. Striving towards precision and excellence, the architects of […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government
Here’s what’s in the Legislature’s energy/climate change legislation
THE LEGISLATURE suspended its rules and whisked through a climate change bill on Thursday that seeks to make Massachusetts the “Saudi Arabia of wind,” promotes the adoption of zero emission […]