Environment

Mass. needs to move much faster on electric buses

Plugging In/ Opinion

Mass. needs to move much faster on electric buses

$75m from VW settlement could accelerate transition

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MASSACHUSETTS HAS AN AIR POLLUTION problem, specifically a diesel pollution problem. Our state has the highest health risk from diesel soot in New England. The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent rollback of automobile emission and efficiency standards will worsen air quality and significantly impact public health. Diesel exhaust pollution carries a cancer risk three times higher(...)

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On climate action, do not hit snooze

Opinion

On climate action, do not hit snooze

Entire regional economy is at stake

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MARK TWAIN’S WITTY aphorism that climate is what you expect and weather is what you get has been sorely tested in Boston and the northeast this past quarter. If the weather this winter is anything to go by, what we are getting must surely be pushing even the most recalcitrant climate denialists into revised expectations. “One(...)

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Tax that dirty water

Spring 2018

Tax that dirty water

Communities impose new stormwater fees to deal with pollution

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LISA MURPHY DOESN’T have any control over how much rain or snow falls on her property in Milton, but she is nevertheless being charged a special fee for stormwater runoff. The fee is calculated based on the amount of impervious surface on her property—her paved driveway and patio as well as the footprint of her(...)

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Go bigger with offshore wind procurement

Plugging In/ Opinion

Go bigger with offshore wind procurement

It would make sense to pick more than one supplier

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IN RECENT MONTHS, the Baker administration has taken several important steps toward a clean energy future for the Commonwealth, including bold initiatives to accelerate large-scale clean energy as enabled by the 2016 Energy Diversity Act. Beyond the state’s recent clean energy procurement, which considered hydro imports, onshore wind projects, and transmission siting, there is a(...)

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What hospitals are doing for climate resiliency

Opinion

What hospitals are doing for climate resiliency

Other businesses need to take similar steps

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THIS MARCH, BRUTAL NOR’EASTERS have battered the region weekly, knocking out power to thousands and causing destructive flooding along the coastline. ‘Bomb cyclone’ and ‘polar vortex’ have become popular terms as extreme weather becomes more frequent and fierce. Climate change modeling predicts this, yet it appears to be happening faster than expected.  It’s time to(...)

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Tweak needed for clean peak standard

Plugging In/ Opinion

Tweak needed for clean peak standard

Rebates could be used to prime the market

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GOV. CHARLIE BAKER recently submitted a significant bond bill to the Legislature calling for a $1.4 billion authorization for climate adaptation, mitigation, and infrastructure investment. While the dollar amounts grab the headlines, there is also an important and innovative piece of policy buried within the bill, establishing a clean peak energy standard (CPS).  A clean(...)

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Grid operator raises alarm at Mystic shutdown

Plugging In

Grid operator raises alarm at Mystic shutdown

Says power plant retirements pose unacceptable fuel security risk

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This story was updated at 7:25 p.m. to include clarifying material. THE OPERATOR OF THE REGIONAL POWER GRID said on Tuesday that it plans to take immediate steps to prevent two of Exelon’s power plants in Everett from retiring while it develops financial incentives to convince the company to keep the plants open in the(...)

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Delays likely in offshore wind procurement

Plugging In

Delays likely in offshore wind procurement

Evaluators tied up on clean energy procurement

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THE STATE’S TOP ENERGY OFFICIAL said on Tuesday that the selection of a winner or winners of the offshore wind procurement will probably be delayed beyond April 23 because the evaluation team is still tied up negotiating a contract with the winner of a separate clean energy procurement. “There’s only so much capacity,” said Matthew(...)

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Baker treads softly on Healey proposal

Plugging In

Baker treads softly on Healey proposal

Won’t say whether he favors reform or removal of electricity sellers

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GOV. CHARLIE BAKER adopted a cautious approach to Attorney General Maura Healey’s call for the elimination of a 50-company business sector that sells electricity to homeowners in Massachusetts. Healey last Thursday condemned the sales tactics of the electricity sellers, and said the best approach to dealing with them would be to do away with the(...)

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Baker proposes home energy efficiency score

Plugging In

Baker proposes home energy efficiency score

Would be required as part of real estate transactions in 2021

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GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday proposed the creation of an easy-to-understand home energy efficiency score that could provide guidance for owners seeking to improve the energy efficiency of their residences and insight for buyers as they decide whether to make a purchase. At a press conference at the State House, Baker said the legislation would(...)

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