You’ve heard a lot from us about why now is the time to buy an electric vehicle. Running an electric vehicle produces fewer emissions than a conventional vehicle. Therefore, we see the need to dramatically accelerate the market for EVs in order to meet the greenhouse gas targets set for Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
On May 17, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued a unanimous opinion confirming that the landmark 2008 climate protection law, the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), requires the state to take enforceable action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on an annual basis in order to achieve the law’s mandate. Basically, they said “limits are limits”, the targets are binding, more needs to be done to achieve the emission target for 2020, and the law is unambiguous.
Unambiguous. That’s the word the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court used in it's unanimous decision to describe a requirement of the Department of Environmental Protection to write regulations ensuring that we see “declining aggregate emissions” of greenhouse gas emissions over time. As a coplaintiff in this case, Mass Energy is thrilled with the SJC’s order. We support the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), which requires greenhouse gas emissions of 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 (both compared to 1990). And the GWSA clearly states that the Department must write regulations to get the job done. We hope that the Department will move quickly to write strong regulations that will get us to the important first milestone of 25% by 2020.
Little Rhody has the opportunity to be a big leader for sustainability. There are several bills on the table this legislative session that span a range of energy issues. These policies were highlighted this past week at People’s Power & Light’s (PP&L) 14th Annual Meeting.
Community members and industry professionals gathered at the meeting to hear from Rhode Island officials, including Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, Office of Energy Resources Commissioner Dr. Marion Gold, Senator Susan Sosnowski, and Representative Deborah Ruggiero. In The Attorney General’s words, “PP&L is a pro-clean energy group, an inexpensive energy group, a group that wants to help disseminate power to those that need it most.”
Some of the unique and, for us, most exciting aspects of our work at Mass Energy and People’s Power & Light are our site visits to local sources of renewable energy.
Since we only buy renewable energy from New England projects on behalf of our members, it’s not hard to bring them right to the source of their electricity. And not only that, but many developers and owners are keen to share their particular story.
Readers of this blog should be aware that we are enthusiastic supporters of electric vehicles and air-source heat pumps. Costs of these products have come down in recent years while quality has gone up. We see them as economically sensible ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to the point that we see them as essential parts of any climate action plan. That would mean for a plan for Massachusetts, Rhode Island, any other state, your city or town, and your family. In our work, we are lucky to come in contact with experts who have figured all this out and who are kind enough to explain their findings to the rest of us. So please enjoy this blog from our guest, Patrick Knight of Synapse Energy Economics.
If your heating system leaves your home too cold or burns too much fuel, it might be time to look into an upgrade. Consumers in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island should pay close attention to incentives being offered by utilities. Gas and oil prices have been low the last couple of years, which makes now a good time to invest some of your fuel savings into making your home more efficient. The payoff will be big when fuel prices rebound (not if, when). Read on to learn more about the incentives and rebates in your state.
Thanks to New England’s relatively strong solar policies, many of our members have gone solar – by owning panels, leasing panels, or participating in community solar programs. To those of you who have gone solar – congrats! However, even though you’re generating solar power, you’re probably not consuming the solar power you generate. In other words, even if you have solar panels or are participating in community solar, you cannot necessarily make the claim that you’ve reduced your personal greenhouse gas emissions as a result.
After a successful pilot program in the Pioneer Valley and a survey of interest to our members, Mass Energy has decided to run our new heat pump program in the Greater Boston area. It will cover 80 cities and towns.
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