LAST TUESDAY’S stunning rebuke by Maine voters of a utility transmission project has dramatic implications for Massachusetts’ clean energy and climate strategy. The so-called New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line would have delivered low carbon electricity from Canadian hydroelectric plants, and has been a key pillar of the Baker administration’s plan for meeting the […]
Plugging In
Posted inOpinion
Mass. climate agenda takes Election Day hits
ONE OF THE MOST consequential results for Massachusetts from last Tuesday’s election actually occurred in Maine. By a margin of approximately 59-41 percent, Maine residents voted to prohibit Central Maine Power’s attempt to construct new, high impact electric transmission lines through the Upper Kennebec region of the state. The transmission lines would carry hydro-electricity produced in […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Utilities defend energy efficiency plan
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GETTING MORE people to adopt electric heat sources in place of fossil fuel-powered sources is a crucial part of the effort to meet the state’s new climate targets, but senators said Monday that the latest three-year plan for the Mass Save program isn’t ambitious enough to truly drive that change. Utility […]
Posted inOpinion
Getting to yes on electricity transmission infrastructure
Second in a series ANY VISION of the future decarbonized power system is sure to include hundreds of wind turbines dotting the Atlantic Ocean to power homes and businesses across New England. While the eye is drawn to the blades spinning above the water, equally important to this vision is what’s going on under the […]
Posted inOpinion
Why Maine voters did Mass. a favor
THE GOOD PEOPLE of Maine have done Massachusetts’ electric ratepayers a solid, as the expression goes. On Tuesday, Maine voters approved Question 1 on their ballot by a nearly 60-40 percent margin. Question 1 will deep-six the electric transmission line intended to push expensive Quebec hydropower into Massachusetts, where ratepayers of the state-regulated electric utilities […]
Posted inEnvironment
Stalled Maine hydro power line raises concerns
WITH A PROPOSED Maine transmission line financed by Massachusetts electricity ratepayers heading to court, officials gathering at a conference in Boston on Thursday raised concerns about the region’s ability to build the energy infrastructure necessary to address climate change. At a meeting of the New England-Canada Business Council, little was said about the stalled transmission […]
Posted inEnvironment
Maine voters tell Mass. to stick its transmission line
MAINE VOTERS delivered a shock to Massachusetts on Tuesday, overwhelmingly approving a ballot question that would block the Bay State’s bid to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels by building a 145-mile transmission line delivering hydro-electricity from Quebec. The ballot fight was the most expensive in Maine history. Opponents of the ballot question heavily outspent […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker calls Maine ballot fight ‘a big deal’
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER indicated he will be closely watching what happens in Maine on Tuesday, where voters will decide the fate of a ballot question that could block construction of a transmission line being built with money from Massachusetts electricity ratepayers to bring carbon-free hydro-electricity into New England. “This is a big deal,” Baker said […]
Posted inUncategorized
2 key hurdles face Mass. power line to Quebec
A PROPOSED power line bringing hydroelectricity from Quebec into New England via Maine faces two key hurdles in the coming months that could make or break climate change efforts in Massachusetts. The power line project, called New England Clean Energy Connect, is being financed by Massachusetts electricity ratepayers. If built, it would deliver 1,200 megawatts […]
Posted inOpinion
Electric vehicle rebate needs to increase, expand
FROM THE GRIDLOCK of the Southeast Expressway to Logan Airport and the Cape Cod bridges, traffic congestion is so commonplace in Massachusetts that it’s easy to forget transportation is also our leading cause of climate pollution. All this movement of people and goods fuels the extreme weather trends that threaten our coastal communities, statewide economic […]