DEEP WITHIN Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan for creating a more resilient, sustainable economy is a proposal that deserves wider attention. Under the heading of “position[ing] the American auto industry to win in the 21st century,” Biden proposes a goal of all American-made buses being zero-emission by 2030, starting with “converting all […]
Electricity
Posted inOpinion
New England needs to go all in on offshore wind
THIS WEEK, the Environmental League of Massachusetts launched a campaign to significantly increase the amount of offshore wind built off New England’s coast and deepen coordination in the region. We have formed the New England for Offshore Wind Coalition, a diverse group of stakeholders from environment, business, labor, environmental justice, and academia who are committed […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mass. in middle of Maine power fight
A group of 25 current and former Maine state lawmakers sent a letter to Hydro-Quebec on Wednesday urging the provincial utility to stop meddling in a state election battle spawned by Massachusetts’ thirst for hydro-electricity from Canada. Massachusetts utilities, with the backing of the Baker administration, signed a nearly $1 billion contract to purchase electricity […]
Posted inUncategorized
Why peak electricity usage matters
WITH HOT AND HUMID conditions enveloping New England, demand for electricity across the region hit its highest level so far this year at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. This year’s peak experience in many ways highlights how the regional power grid is changing and how far it has to go to fully decarbonize. ISO New England, the […]
Posted inThe Download
Why peak electricity usage matters
With hot and humid conditions enveloping New England, demand for electricity across the region hit its highest level so far this year at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. This year’s peak experience in many ways highlights how the regional power grid is changing and how far it has to go to fully decarbonize. ISO New England, […]
Posted inEnvironment
Healey reluctantly rejects Brookline bylaw
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY’S office on Tuesday reluctantly shot down a bylaw approved by the town of Brookline that would have barred the installation of most fossil fuel infrastructure in any new buildings or significant rehabs of existing buildings. In a 12-page ruling, Healey applauded the town’s bid to start addressing greenhouse gas emissions but […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mass. becomes dirty word in Maine referendum fight
CORPORATE SURROGATES for Massachusetts have spent close to $17 million so far battling a referendum question in Maine that seeks to block the importation of hydroelectricity from Quebec using a power line running through wilderness areas in the western part of the state. The referendum battle is in some ways the dark underbelly of a […]
Posted inUncategorized
Boston organization stirs ire of solar advocates
A SHADOWY Boston-based organization is sending renewable energy advocates across the country into a tizzy by challenging the logic behind one of the key subsidies that has been used to spur the growth of the solar power industry. The New England Ratepayers Association, an organization whose financial backers are unknown, filed a petition with the Federal […]
Posted inThe Download
Boston organization stirs ire of solar advocates
A shadowy Boston-based organization is sending renewable energy advocates across the country into a tizzy by challenging the logic behind one of the key subsidies that has been used to spur the growth of the solar power industry. The New England Ratepayers Association, an organization whose financial backers are unknown, filed a petition with the Federal […]
Posted inOpinion
Putting land for solar off-limits could hurt farmers
AT A TIME when our country is already in the grips of a global pandemic and social unrest, a disagreement over an obscure solar policy may seem unimportant – trivial even. But this summer, Massachusetts is threatening to tie the hands of its farmers by making it much more difficult for them to host solar […]