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» CT greenhouse gas emissions up as climate change bills languish
As bills aimed at dealing with climate change struggle to get through the current legislative session, a new report showing that Connecticut is struggling with its greenhouse gas emissions may be providing an extra push.
Jan Ellen Spiegel, CT Mirror
April 25, 2024
» Dozens of Climate Activists Arrested at Citibank Headquarters in New York City During Earth Week
Campaigners pressuring Citibank say they see the bank as potentially movable on its funding of fossil fuels, citing the company’s commitments to sustainability.
Keerti Gopal, Inside Climate News
April 25, 2024
» White House unveils plan to accelerate power grid expansion
DOE created a one-stop shop for permitting, helping transmission developers avoid the regulatory patchwork that has tripped up projects.
Jesse Plautz, Peter Behr, E&E News
April 25, 2024
» Scientists need a scary new color because the world keeps getting hotter
The color-coded system added magenta, a fifth-tier of heat severity, beyond red, to communicate extreme heat “rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief,” according to the Associated Press.
Isaac Schultz, Gizmodo
April 24, 2024
» Holyoke 1 of 5 cities awarded grant to electrify school bus fleet
The public school district is one of five in the state to receive a share of a $4.2 million grant that would help to electrify bus fleets. The money, announced on Tuesday, comes through the state’s Accelerating Clean Transportation School Bus Fleet Deployment Program.
Namu Sampath, MassLive
April 23, 2024
» New York launches 42.5MW of BESS projects including like-for-like gas turbine replacer
The New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA) has approved five battery energy storage system (BESS) projects while governor Kathy Hochul has announced groundbreaking on a sixth, altogether totalling around 42.5MW.
Cameron Murray, Energy Storage News
April 24, 2024
» Mass. AGO, DOER Call for Climate Guardrails on Everett LNG Contracts
In filings submitted to the Department of Public Utilities on April 16, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and Department of Energy Resources expressed concern about the climate effects of proposed utility supply contracts to keep the Everett Marine Terminal LNG import facility operating until 2030.
Jon Lamson, NetZero Insider
April 21, 2024
» US seeing rise in climate-related power outages, report says
Power outages in the US are rising, as climate-related extreme weather strain an already burdened energy grid. Over the last decade, severe storm outages increased by 74% compared with the previous 10 years.
Aliya Uteuova, The Guardian
April 24, 2024
» In ‘The People vs. Citi,’ Climate Leaders Demand Citibank End Its Fossil Fuel Financing
Advocates from across the Americas hosted a mock hearing to call out Citibank’s fossil fuel financing, kicking off a week of protests targeting Wall Street’s climate impacts.
Keerti Gopal, Inside Climate News
April 24, 2024
» With the clean energy transition, low-income communities fear they’ll be saddled with big infrastructure projects, again
More than 80 percent of existing energy infrastructure sits in neighborhoods that are low-income and/or have a high percentage of people of color, a report finds
Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe
April 17, 2024
» Climate change may cost $38 trillion a year by 2049
The study finds the world economy is already headed for a loss of 19% of income per capita around the globe within the next 26 years due to historical emissions that will continue to warm the planet.
Andrew Freedman, Axios
April 18, 2024
» New Gas Peaker Plants Can Produce More Emissions than Older, Less Efficient Units
New gas peaker plants can actually produce more climate pollution than older units that are used less frequently, concludes a U.S. study that looked at battery energy storage systems (BESS) as a cheap, clean alternative to fossil fuels on the power grid.
Christopher Bonasia, Energy Mix
April 18, 2024
» Democratic bill mandates FERC interconnection reforms to bring new resources online faster
The bill would help bring new power supply online to address surging demand growth and increasing grid reliability concerns, according to the R Street Institute’s Devin Hartman.
Ethan Howland, Utility Dive
April 18, 2024
» VPPs, other advanced technologies could each expand existing US grid capacity 20-100 GW
Separately, AES and LineVision released a case study showing how using dynamic line ratings increased capacity on power lines in Indiana and Ohio.
Ethan Howland, Utility Dive
April 16, 2024
» Illinois gives $1.6 million boost to justice-focused community solar projects
Backers see the projects as a key tool to expand economic opportunities to BIPOC communities while supporting the growth of clean energy in the Chicago area
Audrey Henderson, Energy NEws Network
April 16, 2024
» Columbia Law report rebuts 33 ‘most pervasive false claims’ about solar, wind, EVs
The report from the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law rebuts common claims regarding renewable energy’s dependency on subsidies and its potential harms to people or wildlife.
Diana DiGangi, Utility Dive
April 8, 2024
» The U.S. Urgently Needs a Bigger Grid. Here’s a Fast Solution.
A rarely used technique to upgrade old power lines could play a big role in fixing one of the largest obstacles facing clean energy, two reports found.
Brad Plumer, New York Times
April 14, 2024
» Groundbreaking at New Elementary School Ushers in Town’s First Net-zero Building
About one hundred people attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the new elementary school at Fort River. The event was emceed by Town Manager Paul Bockelman who hailed the project as “good for education, good for the environment, and good for operating costs”.
Maria Kopicki, AmherstINDY
March 29, 2024
» A Highway in Indiana Could One Day Charge Your EV While You’re Driving It
Construction of the pilot project on U.S. Highway 52 began this month. State officials hope it can help quell range anxiety and electrify long-haul trucks.
Kristoffer Tigue, Inside Climate News
April 15, 2024
» Heat-trapping carbon dioxide and methane levels in the air last year spiked to record highs again
Carbon dioxide, the most important and abundant of the greenhouse gases caused by humans, rose in 2023 by the third highest amount in 65 years of record keeping, NOAA announced Friday. Scientists are also worried about the rapid rise in atmospheric levels of methane, a shorter-lived but more potent heat-trapping gas.
Seth Borenstein, AP
April 5, 2024
» 80% of CO2 emissions following Paris Agreement linked to 57 companies: report
Most of the surveyed companies increased their fossil fuel production in the seven years following the climate accord, according to the Carbon Majors study.
Zoya Mirza, ESG Dive
April 8, 2024
» Reconductoring US power lines could quadruple new transmission capacity by 2035
Replacing power lines with advanced conductors would enable 90% clean electricity by 2035, according to a Goldman School and GridLab report.
Ethan Howland, Utility Dive
April 9, 2024
» Advanced transmission cable projects still on the sidelines
The conductors are less vulnerable to overheating and could move more energy across the U.S. electricity system, according to studies.
Peter Behr, E&E News
April 10, 2024
» Protesters slam gas group’s use of customers’ money to thwart climate efforts
A group of advocates and Democratic senators gathered in Washington DC on Tuesday to decry utilities’ practice of spending customers’ money to advance a pro-fossil fuel agenda.
Dharna Noor, The Guardian
April 10, 2024
» Thinking globally and acting locally, Williamstown charts its net-zero goals
When the future of the national climate struggle seems to hang precariously on a presidential election, now more than ever state and local actions are essential. Here is how one Berkshire community is responding.
Lauren R. Stevens, Berkshire Eagle
April 11, 2024
» Grid interconnection queues jumped 27% to 2.6 TW in 2023, led by solar, storage
Solar, battery and wind projects make up 95% of the capacity in interconnection queues, according to the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Ethan Howland, Utility Dive
April 11, 2024
» Should Big Oil Be Tried for Homicide?
A group of activists and legal experts are promoting the argument that fossil fuel companies should be charged for homicide and other crimes for their roles in driving climate harms.
Nicholas Kusnetz, Inside Climate News
April 4, 2024
» After a year of climate records, CT lawmakers push for action: 'We're just running out of time'
With just a month left in Connecticut’s legislative session and the failure to pass major climate legislation last year still fresh, lawmakers are advocating for a wide-ranging proposal to combat climate change.
Michayla Savitt, Connecticut Public Radio
April 4, 2024
» Interior approves 2 wind farms for Massachusetts coast
Offshore wind development is critical to the Biden administration’s clean energy push.
Heather Richards, E&E News
April 2, 2024
» New York State Legislature Votes to Ban CO2 Fracking, Closing a Decade-Old Loophole in State Law
The vote is a new win for the state’s anti-fracking movement, which sees the novel process as a way to skirt a ban it pushed through ten years ago, and heads off a Texas-based company that says it would produce net-zero natural gas and sequester carbon dioxide.
Keerti Gopal, Inside Climate News
March 22, 2024
» With States Leading on Climate Policy, New Tools Peer Into Lobbying ‘Black Box’
Separate efforts by Brown University researchers and OpenSecrets allow searches of who’s influencing state lawmakers. Less than half of states make lobbying information accessible for analysis.
Marianne Lavelle, Inside Climate News
April 2, 2024
» International Court Issues First-Ever Decision Enforcing the Right to a Healthy Environment
The landmark ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights will have far reaching implications for communities affected by extreme pollution.
Katie Surma, Inside Climate News
March 29, 2024
» Department of Energy releases blueprint for reducing building emissions
The department says in a nonbinding document that the guidelines could reduce nationwide emissions by 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050.
Nolan Stout, Courthouse News Service
April 2, 2024
» How big-box stores and schools can help marginalized communities go solar
Installing solar arrays on commercial and public buildings could bring renewable energy to two-thirds of the nation's disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Sachi Kitajima Mulkey, Grist
April 4, 2024
» Everett LNG Contracts Face Skepticism in DPU Proceedings
Proposed gas supply agreements between Constellation Energy and Massachusetts gas utilities that would keep the Everett Marine Terminal operating through 2030 are facing significant pushback from environmental organizations and the state Attorney General’s Office in time-constrained proceedings at the Department of Public Utilities.
Jon Lamson, RTO Insider
April 3, 2024
» 'Troublemakers' Block Amazon HQ Over Plan to Link Data Centers With Gas Pipeline
"Amazon is breaking its Climate Pledge by powering new data centers with fracked gas," said one member of the new activist group. "So we came to demand that they honor the pledge."
Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams
March 27, 2024
» Our Primary Fossil Fuel Regulator Must Consider Environmental Impacts
We are challenging fossil fuel infrastructure approvals without adequate review of climate change impacts. In the face of the climate crisis, FERC can no longer ignore the widespread impacts of continued fossil fuel reliance.
Erin Doran, Food & Water Watch
March 27, 2024
» Senators press FERC nominees on climate, natural gas, transmission cost allocation
Republicans on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee focused on the issue of fuel neutrality and whether the nominees would uphold it.
Diana DiGangi, Utility Dive
March 25, 2024
» To chart its transition away from gas, Massachusetts launches energy transformation office
Headed by a former National Grid executive, the office will convene a task force with representatives from utilities, municipalities, business, labor and the supply chain industry.
Ysabelle Kempe, Utility Dive
March 25, 2024
» Chairs of divided energy committee call a truce
The House and Senate chairs of the Legislature’s energy committee, once so divided that they split the panel in two and held hearings separately, have worked out a truce in a bid to pass climate change and energy legislation this session.
Bruce Mohl, Commonwealth Beacon
March 26, 2024
» Biden's "hush-hush" oil boom
The Biden administration's environmental crowd-pleasing crusade against carbon emissions is obscuring a very inconvenient truth about U.S. energy policy: oil and gas production are way up.
Javier E. David, Axios
March 26, 2024
» LNG exports will not deliver long-term energy security, but long-duration energy storage will
Energy security concerns are very real, but jumping into a ‘dash for gas’ would be a mistake, and LNG is not the answer, writes Eric Dresselhuys, CEO of ESS Inc.
Eric Dresselhuys, Energy Storage News
March 27, 2024
» US saw $4B in clean energy investments in February
Projects in sectors like batteries and solar panels will create 4,400 jobs across 11 states.
Joelle Anselmo, Utility Dive
March 18, 2024
» Hydrogen could compete with natural gas by 2030, but there’s a catch
Satisfying demand for green hydrogen would require about 700 GW of new renewable energy, according to The Brattle Group.
Emma Penrod, Utility Dive
March 15, 2024
» After laying out a bold vision to transition to green energy, state creates a new office to implement the plan
But with a big job and just a small staff, advocates question whether the new office is set up for success
Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe
March 15, 2024
» Four ways virtual power plants can help the US grid keep up with demand
States are starting to experiment with VPPs to boost clean energy capacity on America’s overtaxed grid. Experts broke it down at SXSW in Austin.
Maria Gallucci, Canary Media
March 13, 2024
» US energy industry methane emissions are triple what government thinks, study finds
But because more than half of these methane emissions are coming from a tiny number of oil and gas sites, 1% or less, this means the problem is both worse than the government thought but also fairly fixable, said the lead author of a study in Wednesday’s journal Nature.
Seth Borenstein, AP
March 13, 2024
» New study quantifies health impacts from oil and gas flaring in US
A new study finds that pollution from oil and gas venting and flaring results in $7.4 billion in health damages, more than 700 premature deaths, and 73,000 asthma exacerbations among children annually.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
March 12, 2024
» How Much Money Do CO2 Pipeline Companies Stand to Make From the Inflation Reduction Act?
Summit Carbon Solutions, whose proposed pipeline in the Midwest would be the largest of its kind globally, could qualify for more than $10 billion in federal tax credits alone.
Nicholas Kusnetz, Kristoffer Tigue, Inside Climate News
March 5, 2024
» R.I. Sees Rise in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Power Plants
Greenhouse gas emissions from Rhode Island’s five natural gas-fired power plants are on the rise.
By Rob Smith, ecoRI
March 5, 2024
» State lawmakers seek to curb utility spending on politics, ads
Utilities in many states can use ratepayer money to pay for lobbying, goodwill advertising, and other costs, fueling calls to rein in the spending.
By Robert Zullo, Energy News Network
March 1, 2024
» Cheap, clean energy could unleash the power of thermal storage
A growing crop of startups plans to use heat and rocks to tackle some of the hardest decarbonization problems, from chemical production to long-term grid storage.
By Eric Wesoff, Canary Media
February 29, 2024
» Report: Electrothermal energy storage can yield consistent renewable electricity for industry
ETES’ unique combination of heat electrification and storage can rebalance electricity demands — and help industry decarbonize to boot.
By Phoebe Skok, Latitude Media
February 26, 2024
» This new technology could kill the business case for hydrogen in green steel production
Molten oxide electrolysis may prove to be a cheaper option than direct iron reduction — if start-up Boston Metal can demonstrate it works at scale.
By Leigh Collins, Hydrogen Insight
March 7, 2024
» ExxonMobil forges ahead with lawsuit against ESG investors
The true goal of Exxon’s legal attack is preventing shareholders from voting on its greenhouse gas emissions.
By Lamar Johnson, ESG Dive
February 27, 2024
» New Research from Antarctica Affirms the Threat of the ‘Doomsday Glacier
In a worst case scenario, rising global temperatures and marine heatwaves could melt enough of the Thwaites Glacier and other Antarctic ice to raise sea levels 10 feet by the early 2100s.
By Bob Berwyn, Inside Climate News
February 26, 2024
» What to know about the 3 FERC nominees
President Joe Biden’s announcement could bring the agency back to five members as it weighs gas projects and major electricity rules.
By JCarlos Anchondo, Nico Portuond, Colm Quinn, E&E News
March 1, 2024
» Reality Check: US Natural Gas Is Not a “Cleaner” Alternative Fuel
Until we fix a leaky supply chain, US liquified natural gas comes with a major climate risk.
By John Coequyt, Deborah Gordon, Shannon Hughes, Colm Quinn, RMI
February 27, 2024
» Where Black Communities Fit into America’s Energy Transition
Black people bear an unfair share of harm from climate pollution. The United States — and the world — must do better. The damaging effects of a warming world are not evenly shared, and that imbalance underscores how climate and history are impossible to disentangle.
By Nydia Bryan Martinez, RMI
February 28, 2024
» Biden’s EPA postponing major piece of power plant climate rule
The Biden administration is poised to split up one of its most important climate rules by delaying final action on the nation’s approximately 2,000 gas-fired power plants — a move that could push a major part of the president’s fight against global warming until after the November election.
By Jean Chemnick, E&E News
February 29, 2024
» Biden nominates 3 FERC commissioners
“A fully-seated, bipartisan FERC provides more opportunity for advancing long-lasting, sensible energy infrastructure policy,” Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., said.
By Ethan Howland, Utility Dive
February 29, 2024
» Young People Arrested at Biden’s Campaign Headquarters Call for Climate Action and a Ceasefire
The youth-led Sunrise Movement warns Biden that he’ll lose the votes of the young people he needs to win the presidency without decisive action on global warming and Gaza.
By Keerti Gopal, Inside Climate News
February 20, 2024
» New York pension fund to divest $26.8M from 8 oil companies, including ExxonMobil
The state pension fund has also set a new goal to commit $40 billion to sustainable investments and climate solutions by 2035.
By Zoya Mirza, ESGDive
February 20, 2024
» Burrillville Group Wants Algonquin Pipeline Station Shut Down
Environmental groups are on alert and in lockstep opposition to a Canadian multinational corporation seeking to continue its energy business in Rhode Island.
By Rob Smith, ecoRI
February 26, 2024
» Over 1.8GW of energy storage clears in ISO New England’s latest Forward Capacity Auction
Results of the 18th Forward Capacity Auction (FCA) held by ISO New England have been filed, with energy storage’s participation having soared in recent years.
By Andy Colthorpe, Energy Storage News
February 26, 2024
» Massachusetts lawmakers urged to adopt “million solar roofs” equivalent
In California, Governor Schwarzenegger’s million solar roofs initiative spurred the nation’s largest small-scale solar market. Environment America created a petition to support a 10 GW buildout of solar in Massachusetts to preserve its forests and other lands.
By Ryan Kennedy, PV Magazine
February 27, 2024
» Massachusetts order to boost distributed solar could be model for other states
New rules expand net metering to government facilities, exempt certain users from program generation caps and enable net metering transfer credits between utility territories and ISO-NE load zones.
By Brian Martucci, Utility Dive
February 21, 2024
» The evolving BESS market in 2024: A key year for safety, new technologies, and long-duration energy storage
2023 was another blockbuster year for battery energy storage systems (BESS), with major deployments and easing supply chain issues marking a year of growth for BESS, albeit with safety concerns continuing to grab headlines.
By Dr. Matthias Simolka, Energy Storage News
February 19, 2024
» How much will the clean energy transition cost? Not as much as you think, one analysis says
Yes, transitioning to clean energy will cost money—but estimates of just how much aren’t accounting for the savings of using fewer fossil fuels, according to a new report.
By Dan Gearino, Fast Company
February 24, 2024
» Utilities pursue contracts with Everett LNG terminal
National Grid is seeking state approval to purchase liquefied natural gas from the Everett Marine Terminal over the next six years, a supply arrangement that will drive up the bill of a typical gas customer during winter months by an average of nearly 1 percent a year.
By Bruce Mohl, Commonwealth Beacon
February 12, 2024
» The New Particulate Standard and the Courts
The tough new air quality standard is sure to be challenged in court. Winning the challenges will be tougher.
By Dan Farber, Legal Planet
February 12, 2024
» Constellation Reaches Agreements to Keep Everett LNG Terminal Open
Eversource and National Grid have reached agreements with Constellation to keep the Everett Marine Terminal (EMT) open for six more years, pending approval from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU). The gas utilities said the contracts would boost the reliability of their distribution systems and help meet winter gas demand.
By Jon Lamson, RTO Insider
February 13, 2024
» Bad River Band and Enbridge offer oral arguments in Line 5 shutdown appeal
Representatives of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Canadian pipeline company Enbridge Inc. gave their oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago on the case appealing the shutdown of Enbridge’s controversial Line 5 pipeline.
By Kyle Davidson, Michigan Advance
February 12, 2024
» Will New York State Divest From Big Oil?
The manager of the state’s largest pension fund is expected to decide soon whether to sell shares in Exxon, Chevron and other major oil companies.
By Nicholas Kusnetz, Inside Climate News
February 13, 2024
» ‘A Dream Deferred:’ 30 Years of U.S. Environmental Justice in Port Arthur, Texas
On the 30th anniversary of the first presidential executive order on environmental justice, a report from the fencelines in the booming Southeast Texas petrochemical corridor.
By James Bruggers, Inside Climate News
February 11, 2024
» Extreme Climate Impacts From Collapse of a Key Atlantic Ocean Current Could be Worse Than Expected, a New Study Warns
Disruption of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current could freeze Europe, scorch the tropics and increase sea level rise in the North Atlantic. The tipping point may be closer than predicted in the IPCC’s latest assessment.
By Bob Berwyn, Inside Climate News
February 9, 2024
» How a Climate Group That Has Made Chaos Its Brand Got the White House’s Ear
In less than a year, Climate Defiance has drawn the admiration of activists and the ire of government leaders and CEOs. It may be a sign of an appetite among activists for more peaceful but confrontational direct action.
By Keerti Gopal, Inside Climate News
February 11, 2024
» ISO New England proposes capacity market changes, further 2-year delay for upcoming auction
Moving to a “prompt/seasonal” model of procuring energy resource commitments would better reflect changing demand and available supply, the New England grid operator said.
By Robert Walton, Utility Dive
February 13, 2024
» World's first year-long breach of key 1.5C warming limit
World leaders promised in 2015 to try to limit the long-term temperature rise to 1.5C, which is seen as crucial to help avoid the most damaging impacts.
By Mark Poynting, BBC News
February 8, 2024
» More questions than answers after Massachusetts order to transition from natural gas
Utility companies, lawmakers, and state regulators still have to figure out how they will follow through on the order that requires gas and electric utilities to coordinate on electrification.
By Sarah Shemkus, Energy News Network
February 5, 2024
» Utility opposition stymies Fair Access to Community Solar Act in Washington
Legislators in Washington State were hoping to boost the state’s community solar program with bills that would establish The Fair Access to Community Solar Act; however, supporters will have to wait another year.
By Anne Fischer, PV Magazine
February 2, 2024
» Willow opponents try again, this time in a U.S. appeals court, to block ConocoPhillips oil development in Alaska
ConocoPhillips has already begun to develop its Willow oil leases in the western Arctic, but environmental organizations and a group of Inupiat people opposed to the project are still trying to stop it.
By Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media
February 5, 2024
» Tribal lawsuits threaten Biden’s clean energy push
Just weeks after a federal judge took the rare step of ordering the removal of a commercial wind farm on Osage Nation land, a tribe in the Great Lakes region Thursday will make its case that a separate court should shutter an oil conduit that travels through Chippewa reservation land near Lake Superior.
By Nina H. Farah, Energy Wire
February 8, 2024
» A Year Before Biden’s First Term Ends, Environmental Regulators Rush to Aid Disinvested Communities
The EPA wants to get the funds to environmental justice communities before the election in keeping with President Biden’s promise to address historic injustices.
By Aman Azhar, Inside Climate News
February 6, 2024
» FERC approves ISO-NE day-ahead reserve initiative, in boost to flexible resources
The plan will provide increased revenue to flexible resources like energy storage that can provide reserves to meet any unexpected real-time power supply needs.
By Ethan Howland, Utility Dive
February 5, 2024
» Nine states pledge to boost heat pumps to 90% of home equipment sales by 2040
An agreement between state environmental agencies in the Northeast and West seeks to make high-efficiency electric technology the norm in residential space heating and cooling and water heating.
By Annie Ropeik, Energy News Network
February 7, 2024
» Mass. Gas Working Group Finalizes Recommendations to Legislature
The Massachusetts Gas System Enhancement Plan (GSEP) Working Group submitted its final report to the state Legislature at the end of January, providing a series of recommendations on aligning the state’s efforts to replace leak-prone pipes with its climate mandates.
By Jon Lamson, RTO Insider
February 6, 2024
» New York governor’s working group on BESS safety recommends changes to state Fire Code
The New York State Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group has recommended changing the state fire code to better manage risks associated with battery storage systems installed in the US state.
By Andy Colthorpe, Energy Storage News
February 7, 2024
» Ignoring Indigenous rights is making the green transition more expensive
“If you’re going to develop energy in the U.S. you’ve got to do it with the support of tribal communities."
By Anita Hofschneider, Grist
February 2, 2024
» Environmentalists demand Northeast governors oppose gas pipeline expansion project
A multistate coalition of over 90 environmental organizations is demanding that the governors of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York publicly oppose a proposal to expand a major natural gas pipeline in the Northeast.
By Miriam Wasser, WBUR
January 25, 2024
» NEPOOL Nears a Vote on Order 2023 Compliance
ISO-NE reviewed changes to its Order 2023 compliance redlines with stakeholders at the NEPOOL Transmission Committee (TC) on Jan. 23 as the committee prepares for a vote on compliance in February. Multiple clean energy organizations, meanwhile, proposed compliance amendments.
By Jon Lamson, RTO Insider
January 24, 2024
» Advocates urge Governor Healey to oppose major gas expansion proposal
A coalition of climate advocates is calling on Governor Maura Healey to oppose the proposed expansion of a gas pipeline, called “Project Maple,” which they say would hurt front-line communities and worsen the climate crisis.
By Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe
January 25, 2024
» Communities trying to take over their local electric utility
Activists say public power would lower bills and expand clean energy. But they face tough opposition from investor-owned utilities.
By Akielly Hu, Grist
January 25, 2024
» Mass. Lawmakers Aiming for an Omnibus Climate Bill in 2024
Top legislators in Massachusetts this year hope to pass a major climate and energy bill, which could bring significant permitting and siting reform, and boost transportation and heating electrification.
By Jon Lamson, RTO Insider
January 15, 2024
» Two large offshore wind sites are sending power to the US grid for the first time
The joint owners of the Vineyard Wind project, Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, announced Wednesday the first electricity from one turbine at what will be a 62-turbine wind farm 15 miles (24 kilometers) off the coast of Massachusetts.
By Jennifer McDermott, Associated Press
January 3, 2024
» Puget Sound Energy, Form Energy explore 10-MW, 100-hour iron-air battery pilot
Multiday storage technology can offset the need for additional generation resources used only during times of high demand, a utility spokesperson said.
By Kavya Balaraman, Utility Dive
January 9, 2024
» Gas plants ‘disproportionately vulnerable to failure,’ warns Union of Concerned Scientists report
Extreme temperatures threaten gas plants and electric reliability, particularly in regions where grid operators use simple methods to account for resource contributions, according to UCS.
By Robert Walton, Utility Dive
January 9, 2024
» Activists warn of health, climate risks of gas pipeline
“The science is very clear that we need to be rapidly moving off of fossil fuel infrastructure. But instead here we are expanding it in a way that prolongs our reliance,” Wazer said. “I want them to know that young folks are watching and this is our future that they’re deciding whether or not to sacrifice in the name of profit.”
By Alison Cross, Hartford Courant
January 12, 2024
» Yes, wind turbines kill birds. But fracking is much worse
Wind energy development has no statistically significant effect on bird counts, or on the diversity of avian species. Fracking, on the other hand, does have an impact. The drilling of shale oil and gas wells reduces the total number of birds counted by 15%.
By Sammy Roth, LA Times
January 11, 2024
» Pioneering 565-MWh battery storage facility now online in Hawai’i
“This is the first time a standalone battery site has provided grid-forming services at this scale,” Mike Snyder, senior director, Tesla Megapack, said.
By Kavya Balaraman, Utility Dive
January 16, 2024
» Puget Sound Energy, Form Energy explore 10-MW, 100-hour iron-air battery pilot
By far the least expensive and least polluting option is to get around on foot, bike, or public transit. But if you need a personal vehicle, EVs cost less to drive compared to a similar gasoline-powered vehicle, and they also emit less carbon pollution.
By Karin Kirk, Yale Climate Connections
January 8, 2024
» Gasoline is cheap right now — but charging an EV is still cheaper
By far the least expensive and least polluting option is to get around on foot, bike, or public transit. But if you need a personal vehicle, EVs cost less to drive compared to a similar gasoline-powered vehicle, and they also emit less carbon pollution.
By Karin Kirk, Yale Climate Connections
January 8, 2024
» Plan for Gas Drilling Spree in New York’s Southern Tier Draws Outrage From Green Groups
To get around New York’s fracking ban, the plan would use fluid carbon dioxide instead of water to extract methane from shale formations, with the CO2 remaining sequestered underground. One environmental activist called it “a crazy idea.”
By Peter Mantius, Inside Climate News
January 11, 2024
» Gaza War Fuels Climate Crisis: “Massive” Carbon Emissions from Israeli Bombing
In an exclusive story this week, The Guardian's climate justice reporter Nina Lakhani revealed that “The planet-warming emissions generated during the first two months of the war in Gaza were greater than the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations.”
By Nermeen Shaikh, Democracy Now
January 11, 2024
» Vineyard Wind, country’s first large-scale offshore wind project, is producing clean electricity
The Vineyard Wind project achieved “first power” late Tuesday when one operating turbine near Martha’s Vineyard delivered approximately five megawatts of electricity to the grid. The company said it expects to have five turbines operating at full capacity in early 2024.
By Miriam Wasser, WBUR
January 3, 2024
» The List of EVs That Qualify for a $7,500 Tax Credit in 2024
While fewer vehicles qualify for the full credit than before, there are still savings to be had on new, leased and used EVs.
By Dan Gearino, Inside Climate News
January 4, 2024
» Ireland Could Become the Next Nation to Recognize the Rights of Nature and a Human Right to a Clean Environment
The move to enshrine those rights is part of a flurry of developments advancing the rights of nature movement this year.
By Katie Surma, Inside Climate News
January 1, 2024
» Major Changes Ahead for ISO-NE in 2024
As the climate consequences of fossil fuel consumption accelerate, the RTO is tasked with balancing the competing objectives of grid reliability and decarbonization, while keeping costs affordable for ratepayers. The proliferation of weather-dependent renewable resources accompanied by load growth from electrification poses novel challenges to the region.
By Jon Lamson, RTO Insider
January 3, 2024