This fall, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is considering proposals from National Grid, Eversource, and Unitil that could make it more economical to operate DC fast charging stations. The proposals could be a big step forward in expanding much-needed charging infrastructure in the Bay State.

But is the DPU considering how to maximize all potential co-benefits of the proposal? In this blog, we’ll explain the new ideas under consideration by regulators and what’s still missing to achieve a smart energy policy that will drive Massachusetts towards the emissions reduction needed to meet its climate goals.

On August 16, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest investment in fighting climate change on the national level this country has ever seen. The IRA is a huge deal and fundamentally changes the game for our work here at the state level. On August 31, we held a webinar to discuss the IRA and its impact on three levels: on individual consumers who want to go green, on towns and cities, and on the state. Here is the webinar recording, as well as a summary and clips of each individual section. Enjoy!

When we talk about electric cars at Green Energy Consumers, we often get questions about road trips. How do you drive hundreds of miles with a battery electric vehicle? How do you plan where to charge? Does it take forever? That's why we love featuring real stories from real people about their experience driving electric. Here's a guest blog from our friend Nicole about her family's trip from Massachusetts to Virginia in a fully-electric car. (This blog refers to the different types of charging and plugs. If you need a refresher, check out our charging basics page!)

Note: At Green Energy Consumers, we know that we need to rapidly electrify all forms of transportation – especially including medium- and heavy-duty trucks, which disproportionately contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and localized air pollution. We're excited to post this guest blogpost from Jenny Kritzler at CALSTART and Kristen Patneaude from PowerOptions, who are working with MassCEC to offer Mass Fleet Advisor. If you have a private or nonprofit fleet that you'd like to electrify, read on!

Last week, the Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI) hosted a forum for candidates running RI Governor to discuss their plans for the environment if elected. The forum covered several of Rhode Island’s most pressing environmental issues, including environmental justice and implementation of the Act On Climate. But one question stood out.

Moderator Ed Fitzpatrick of the Boston Globe asked: To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, should Rhode Island set an end date for the last sales of new gasoline-powered automobiles like some other states?

In the nearly seven years since we launched Drive Green, Green Energy Consumers has interacted with tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents through a combination of in-person events and online offerings. We have helped nearly 1,000 drivers get an electric vehicle (EV). We’re proud of that work, since we know we need to rapidly electrify transportation to fight climate change and better public health.

On Thursday, the Massachusetts House and Senate both passed a major new climate bill, An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind. The legislation now goes to Governor Baker for signature. The bill is basically what we expected: a combination of the House’s emphasis on offshore wind, the Senate’s emphasis on electric transportation, and some new policies in other areas. Overall, we are very pleased with the 96-page bill. Here are our views on some of the key provisions – and what you can do to get this over the finish line. 

Rhode Island is in good shape to reduce emissions from the power sector after a successful 2022 legislation session. But it’s slow-going on policy to support vehicle electrification, which is an absolute necessity to displace gasoline use and meet 2030 climate goals.