SALEM IS NOW in the conversation as one of a handful of Massachusetts communities that could be key players as the state vies to become a hub for offshore wind development. Gov. Charlie Baker gave Salem a big plug earlier this month when his administration pushed lawmakers to approve the use of $100 million in […]
Plugging In
Posted inUncategorized
Baker seeks $100m for offshore wind port infrastructure
AS THE OFFSHORE wind business is ramping up in Massachusetts and along the East Coast, Gov. Charlie Baker is proposing spending $100 million in federal money on marine port infrastructure to support the emerging industry.  The proposal is part of Baker’s $2.9 billion package for how to spend more than half the money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Officials from the Executive […]
Posted inOpinion
Stop sweetheart deals with state utilities
Electrifying buildings and appliances that now run on gas, oil, and other fossil fuels will be a key piece of meeting Massachusetts’ climate targets. The region’s investor-owned utilities will be vital partners in making this possible. However, it has recently come to light that Eversource has been quietly funding a campaign to fight against electrification […]
Posted inOpinion
No justification for proposed Peabody gas plant
THE MASSACHUSETTS Municipal Wholesale Electric Company and the staff at some participating municipal light plants say that building a new, 60-megawatt combined natural gas and oil peaker power plant in Peabody is absolutely necessary. The proposed peaker plant will run only when energy demand is high – and will cost ratepayers in 14 communities with […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics
Environmental League targets muni light plants
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WHEN MARBLEHEAD voters get to the polls June 22, they’ll have their pick of candidates: 14 options for the Select Board, two choices for the School Committee and, perhaps most notably, four candidates vying for two seats on the Municipal Light Commission. In the 41 Bay State communities that own and […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should set 100% clean energy mandate
WITH LAST MONTH’S approval of the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind project off the coast of Massachusetts, a clean energy future is within our grasp in the United States. Nowhere is that more evident than in Massachusetts. Our state is poised to deliver 800 megawatts of reliable, clean power to thousands of homes and businesses […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to prioritize offshore wind supply chain
THE TIME HAS COME to meet the promise of new jobs from the offshore wind industry. The main driver in my legislative support for offshore wind was the potential for job creation here in Massachusetts. I now fear the full potential will not be realized unless job creation is made a priority. I’m happy to […]
Posted inOpinion
Solar gone wrong
JESSICA ROBERTSON and Daniel Berwick would be well-advised to take the advice they offer in their recent opinion piece that we should “shift the conversation from where solar shouldn’t go to where it should.” Borrego Solar, the company that employs them, must withdraw its current plans for another 200 acres of ground-mounted solar in the […]
Posted inOpinion
The municipal solution to climate change
AROUND THE WORLD, in the White House, and at our State House, leaders are finally beginning to respond to the climate challenge. Here in Massachusetts, we can take pride in bold new legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions. And the nation’s first large-scale off-shore wind project, Vineyard Wind, has been given the go ahead by […]
Posted inOpinion
Proposed Peabody gas plant, now on hold, makes sense
IT SHOULD COME as no surprise that people have questions and concerns when one of the leaders in clean energy in Massachusetts proposes building a new gas-fired power plant in Peabody. But the answers aren’t all that complicated, and the concerns should be diminished when all the facts are known. Simply, the power plant, known […]