Plugging In

Plugging In

Energy and the Environment

NH court OKs novel pipeline financing approach

NH court OKs novel pipeline financing approach

Opinion says Massachusetts SJC got it wrong

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THE NEW HAMPSHIRE SUPREME COURT took a very different stand than its counterpart in Massachusetts on Tuesday, ruling that electric utilities in the Granite State could tap their ratepayers for the money to finance a new natural gas pipeline into the region. The ruling could help resuscitate efforts to build natural gas pipeline projects in(...)

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Offshore wind rush is irresponsible

Offshore wind rush is irresponsible

Turbine farms threaten the future of fishing

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In an April opinion piece, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wrote that “affordable, reliable, and abundant American energy drives domestic jobs and prosperity.” If by “drives domestic jobs and prosperity” Zinke meant “threatens the very existence of New England fishermen,” then the East Farm Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island (which represents Rhode Island commercial fishermen)(...)

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Eversource: Time to rein in competitive electricity suppliers

Eversource: Time to rein in competitive electricity suppliers

Exec stops short of endorsing Healey’s bid to eliminate the firms

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AT EVERSOURCE, we’re always working to serve our customers better. Whether it be by continually improving service reliability, enhancing the communication channels available to our customers, or providing straightforward answers to the many questions that arise about our industry, we take our role as a trusted source of energy expertise very seriously. Though the topics(...)

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Natural gas is not a clean fuel

Natural gas is not a clean fuel

Globe editorial amplified drumbeat of fossil fuel industry

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In a CommonWealth op-ed, Craig Altemose of 350 Massachusetts for a Better Future criticized the Boston Globe editorial board’s advocacy for new natural gas pipelines, for reasons with which I largely agree. Altemose is correct that the Globe overstates the environmental impact of this winter’s reliance on old coal- and oil-fired generating plants.  A May(...)

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Exelon sets its price for keeping Everett plants open

Exelon sets its price for keeping Everett plants open

Region's grid operator warns of rolling blackouts without them

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EXELON GENERATION told federal regulators on Wednesday that it is willing to keep operating two power plants and a liquefied natural gas facility in Everett from 2022 to 2024 if the company is allowed to collect less than $1 a month from all of the electricity customers in New England over the two-year period. Chicago-based(...)

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Kulik: Pipeline resistance strong in House

Kulik: Pipeline resistance strong in House

Business groups are leading push for more natural gas

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THE LEADER OF THE ANTI-PIPELINE FORCES in the House said on Wednesday that the coalition remains strong and could probably defeat any legislative bid to have electric ratepayers finance a new natural gas pipeline. “There’s still a lot of resistance,” said Rep. Stephen Kulik of Worthington, the vice chair of the House Ways and Means(...)

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Union official backs Bay State Wind

Union official backs Bay State Wind

Says firm can help New Bedford the way it helped UK communities

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OFFSHORE WIND BECAME A FOCUS for Massachusetts more than 10 years ago, and I have been caught up by it and am now engaged in the process of making it a reality for the state. Since my involvement, I’ve had the great privilege of learning from some of the industry’s top minds, which has helped(...)

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Another skirmish in the pipeline wars

Another skirmish in the pipeline wars

Dueling studies assess impact of cold snap in late December, early January

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THE LATEST PIPELINE SKIRMISH centers around the two-week cold snap New England endured at the end of December and early January. Massachusetts businesses groups last week released a study that quantified the environmental impact of  the cold snap, which sent demand for natural gas soaring to levels that couldn’t be satisfied with existing pipeline capacity.(...)

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Obama saw a key role for natural gas

Obama saw a key role for natural gas

We should follow his lead in New England

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MASSACHUSETTS HAS A LONG HISTORY of leading the nation through innovative programs and establishing tough standards that improve public health and environmental protection. From some of the nation’s earliest innovative hazardous waste cleanup programs to requiring innovative technologies to reduce emissions, protecting our air and natural resources has always been a source of pride in(...)

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Baker goes slow on smart meters

Baker goes slow on smart meters

DPU order authorizes $220m in grid upgrades

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THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION authorized the state’s utilities to spend $220 million over the next three years upgrading the power grid to accommodate renewables, electricity storage, and more efficient ways of detecting outages. An order issued on Thursday by the Department of Public Utilities put off a decision on the purchase of smart meters, which allow(...)

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