WE ARE FACING the daunting challenge of meeting the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of the Global Warming Solutions Act. And now the recent Supreme Judicial Court decision, Kain v. DEP, has confirmed those targets are legally binding. But, unfortunately, the court’s decision may have established a principle of law that should cause serious concern […]
Plugging In
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Clearing the air on natural gas
WANT TO KNOW how Massachusetts can lower electric bills while safeguarding the health of not just our own children but everyone else’s children, too? By following our existing state and federal environmental laws and continuing to lead the nation by setting the standard for the clean energy economy. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s May 17, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, State House News Service
House OKs hydro, offshore wind bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE House lawmakers voted near unanimously on Wednesday to diversify the state’s state energy mix by requiring utilities to solicit and enter into long-term contracts for large-scale hydroelectric and offshore wind power as part of a strategy to reduce the state’s reliance on natural gas and meet its carbon emission reduction mandates. […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cape Wind sharply attacks House energy bill
CAPE WIND ISSUED a position statement on Tuesday calling the House’s energy bill anticompetitive, unconstitutional, and the result of “a form of legislative bid-rigging.” The unusually harsh statement was issued the day before the House is scheduled to take up a bill that would authorize the state’s utilities to purchase large quantities of offshore wind […]
Posted inEnvironment
New pipe could help curb gas leaks
IN LATE MAY, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy released its version of draft energy omnibus legislation. Climate Action Business Association, a Boston-based business group, responded by calling for a more robust policy, specifically calling on lawmakers to take bolder steps to address the gas leaks issue in the state. The business association works […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
No mandate needed for municipal utilities
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY, through changes in the electric industry more revolutionary than the ones we are facing today, Massachusetts municipal utilities have set the standard for excellence in reliable electric service and competitive rates. There are many reasons for this success, including a not-for-profit business model and local control over decisions that affect […]
Posted inEnvironment
Beaton: More hydro needed in energy bill
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION’S point person on energy said on Thursday that he would like to see more emphasis on hydroelectricity in the Legislature’s energy bill and indicated he shared House concerns about including Cape Wind in any procurement for offshore wind. Matthew Beaton, the governor’s secretary of energy and environmental affairs, said he was pleased […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker administration mum on emission plans
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION told lawmakers on Tuesday that it would comply with a Supreme Judicial Court decision mandating specific reductions in the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, but said it was too early to speculate on how those reductions would be accomplished. Lawmakers at a State House hearing suggested putting a price on carbon, increasing energy […]
Posted inUncategorized
Wholesale electricity prices fell by third in 2015
THE OPERATOR OF THE REGION’S POWER GRID said on Thursday that the wholesale price of electricity fell by more than a third in 2015, primarily because of lower prices for natural gas, the fuel used to produce nearly half of New England’s electricity. ISO New England said the average wholesale price for electricity in the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Electricity consumption on the rise
EVERSOURCE ENERGY says the average monthly electricity usage of its typical customer is now 600 kilowatt hours, up from the 500 kilowatt-hour estimate the company has used for years. The change showed up on a recent press release detailing the firm’s basic service rates for this summer. Michael Durand, an Eversource spokesman, said the average […]