The Energy Consumer's Bulletin- a New England energy news blog

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Los Angeles is Burning. Will Californians Care About Flooding In New England?

We’re going to see another horrible flood in New England. It’s just a matter of when and where. If it’s in Providence, will people in Boston care? If...

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Electric vehicles/Transportation (2)

Energy policy & advocacy Electric vehicles/Transportation Rhode Island Phasing out fossil fuels

Rhode Island Is First State to Complete Phase 1 Under National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program

We write with some exciting news regarding Rhode Island’s transportation emission reduction efforts! Last week, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to complete Phase 1 of the alternative fuel corridor under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program. The NEVI program is part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and funds states to deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, aiming to create an interconnected network that enhances data collection, access, and reliability for EV charging funding and development.

Picture of Amanda Barker Amanda Barker
Electric vehicles/Transportation

Chevy Has Two New EVs Worth A Look

Pardon this first-person account, but if you are thinking about buying or leasing an electric vehicle (EV) this year, this might be of help. Given what I do for a living, I know a lot of people who drive EVs, all different makes and models, and about 99% love the car they have. Our family has really enjoyed driving a Chevy Volt since 2014 (plug-in hybrid, or PHEV) and a Chevy Bolt (all-electric) since that came out a few years later. (Back when we got that Volt, we wrote a blog series about it – boy has the EV market come a long way in 10 short years!) Both cars are great for the money. We have had a decade of very low maintenance costs.

Picture of Larry Chretien Larry Chretien
Energy policy & advocacy Massachusetts Electric vehicles/Transportation Rhode Island Climate change

Building & Transportation Emissions Heading in the Wrong Direction

At Green Energy Consumers Alliance, we’re all about that “think globally, act locally” thing. So it hurts to report that our beloved states, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have carbon emissions going up, not down as their laws and the planet require. Unfortunately, this is true at a global and national level as well. These sobering facts are a renewed call to action for all of us.

Picture of Larry Chretien, Amanda Barker & Anna Vanderspek Larry Chretien, Amanda Barker & Anna Vanderspek
Electric vehicles/Transportation Climate change Phasing out fossil fuels

A Reminder On Electric Cars, Climate, and Air Pollution

A June 18 Boston Globe story, “If even the secretary of transportation won’t take the train, who will?” greatly understates the value that electric vehicles bring to us in terms of reducing pollution causing both global warming and severe health problems. Much of the article is about how we need to support public transportation and reduce the total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by individual cars. We agree heartily on that point. We absolutely need to reduce the number of vehicles on our roads and overall VMT to meet our climate goals, and public transit is a key way of doing that. (Not to mention all the social and economic benefits of a better public transit system.) But the cars that are left on our roads do need to be electric, and as soon as possible, for the sake of our climate and our health.

Picture of Larry Chretien & Anna Vanderspek Larry Chretien & Anna Vanderspek
Massachusetts Electric vehicles/Transportation

Looking Back on QARI Drives Green

Way back in July 2022, we published a blog announcing QARI Drives Green, our two-year partnership with Quincy Asian Resources, Inc, better known as QARI. Our partnership was funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center through its Accelerating Clean Transportation For All (ACT4All) program. Now, nearly two years later, that particular grant has run its course, so it’s time to celebrate what we’ve achieved and look to what’s next!

Picture of Anna Vanderspek Anna Vanderspek
Electric vehicles/Transportation

New Electric Vehicles Qualify for Federal Tax Credit

As spring 2024 unfolds, we have some good news: more vehicle models are now eligible for the federal tax credit than when the list changed on January 1. The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a new list of EVs that receive between $3,750 and $7,500 in federal tax credit. And with the updates in the IRS guidelines for 2024, this credit can now be taken at point of sale, so the savings are instantaneous at IRS-registered dealerships.

Picture of Ezra Messinger Ezra Messinger
Massachusetts Electric vehicles/Transportation Rhode Island

New EPA Vehicle Standards & What They Mean for Massachusetts & Rhode Island

Recently, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final vehicle emissions regulations for vehicle model years 2027 through 2032. You’ve likely seen lots of headlines about this. As the New York Times put it, “in terms of lowering the emissions that are heating the planet, this regulation does more than any other climate rule issued by the federal government and more than any measure planned in the remainder of Mr. Biden’s first term." In this blog, we’ll cover what these regulations are, why they’re so important, and how they interact with electric vehicle (EV) policies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Picture of Anna Vanderspek Anna Vanderspek