Energy

Mass. must lead on climate change

Opinion

Mass. must lead on climate change

Price, or fee, on carbon pollution is the key

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ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL IMAGES from last winter’s 100-year storms was the photograph of General Electric’s future Boston home submerged under water. It served as a strong warning of the consequences if we fail to act boldly in the fight against climate change. In this final month of the state Legislature’s formal session, our(...)

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Planned transmission key to offshore wind race

Plugging In/ Opinion

Planned transmission key to offshore wind race

A grid could attract more bidders, better prices

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THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE – in the 14 days it has until adjournment – is continuing to lead the nation in its careful deliberation over “what’s next” in the Commonwealth’s determined push for a cleaner energy economy.  The State is fresh off its first procurement of the first 800 megawatts out of 1,600 megawatts of procurement(...)

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A fracking ban is hypocritical

Plugging In/ Opinion

A fracking ban is hypocritical

Why ban a product that doesn’t exist in Massachusetts?

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MEANINGLESS, hypocritical political grandstanding. Those are words no one should ever use lightly – but they are words that accurately describe a provision of Massachusetts energy legislation now pending on Beacon Hill that calls for a 10-year moratorium on the production of natural gas anywhere in the Bay State through “fracking,” or hydraulic fracturing. Originating(...)

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Are we doing enough on clean energy?

Are we doing enough on clean energy?

Beacon Hill debate is mostly about hydro vs. solar and wind

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Massachusetts is in the midst of procuring vast amounts of clean energy, but on Beacon Hill clean energy advocates say the state isn’t doing nearly enough. The Senate approved legislation that would triple the annual increase in renewable energy purchases. The House last week took up a bill that would have doubled the annual increase,(...)

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The Codcast: Are we doing enough on clean energy?

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Massachusetts is in the midst of procuring vast amounts of clean energy, but on Beacon Hill clean energy advocates say the state isn’t doing nearly enough. The Senate approved legislation that would triple the annual increase in renewable energy purchases. The House last week took up a bill that would have doubled the annual increase,(...)

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Raise the Renewable Portfolio Standard

Plugging In/ Opinion

Raise the Renewable Portfolio Standard

A boost is needed to help state meet emissions goals

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AS THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION draws to an end, state lawmakers are considering bills that would increase the annual growth rate of the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). As these proposals move ahead, it is important that decision-makers not be deterred by unsubstantiated claims made by opponents that an RPS increase is incompatible with procurements of hydroelectricity required by statute (Section 83D) or will undermine compliance with the state’s Clean Energy Standard (CES). This argument(...)

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Raise the Renewable Portfolio Standard II

Plugging In/ Opinion

Raise the Renewable Portfolio Standard II

Boost is needed to keep up with other states

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WIND HAS POWERED Massachusetts’ economic prosperity before, and it is poised to do so again. Two hundred years ago, whalers harnessed wind off the coasts of New Bedford, Cape Cod, and Cape Ann, charting a course for whale oil to light up our region and economy. Today, our communities are again racing into the wind(...)

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Electricity trick or treat?

Opinion

Electricity trick or treat?

Pro and con: Do competitive electricity suppliers help or hurt in Massachusetts?

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Well-intentioned law has been corrupted by con men BY DANIEL STEVENS AS SUMMER SWINGS into high gear, our electric bills do, too. Modern life dictates that we need power to keep us cool. To try and reduce electricity prices for people living in Massachusetts, a few years ago, the state Legislature created a program called(...)

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FERC OKs help for Mystic plants

Plugging In

FERC OKs help for Mystic plants

Gas pipeline issue hovers over decision

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THE FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION has given New England’s power grid operator until the end of August to come up with a plan to prop up a pair of uneconomic natural gas power plants in Everett and until July 2019 to develop a long-term approach to fuel security vulnerability in the region. The 3-2 decision,(...)

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Busted unions

Busted unions

Indifference and declining muscle threaten labor’s role

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Labor unions may be taking a beating these days but they’re not going down without a fight and somebody is going to emerge bloodied. The latest battlefield is right here in Massachusetts as National Grid’s lockout of some 1,200 union workers is in its third week with no immediate end in sight. The utility giant(...)

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