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

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Massachusetts DPU Has Too Much To Do!

In our work, we pay close attention to the agencies regulating the electric and gas utilities. In Rhode Island, that’s the Public Utilities...

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Renewable energy

Renewable energy Climate change Phasing out fossil fuels

Poll Finds Majority Support for Offshore Wind in Southern New England

If you read our blog on the High Cost of Saying NO to Offshore Wind, you know that offshore wind technology brings numerous benefits. Fortunately, New Englanders are increasingly aware of said benefits. Recent poll resultsfrom the Barr Foundation highlight consensus among Southern New England residents in favor of offshore wind initiatives. Conducted by Hart Research between June 7-16, this poll surveyed over 1,200 registered voters in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, showcasing strong regional support for transitioning to clean, renewable energy sources.

Picture of Amanda Barker Amanda Barker
Renewable energy Electricity and the grid Climate change

The High Cost of Saying NO to Offshore Wind

If you’re a New Englander concerned about climate change, you’re likely anxiously awaiting the results of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island’s joint offshore wind solicitation. With recent supply chain and economic constraints causing project costs to rise, the three states issued a joint solicitation to allow developers to bid on larger projects and access economies of scale in October of 2023. They received the following proposals in March of this year.

Picture of Amanda Barker Amanda Barker
Renewable energy Energy policy & advocacy Electricity and the grid

Data Shows: Retail Electricity Suppliers Love to Greenwash

If there's one thing we hate at Green Energy Consumers Alliance, it’s greenwashing. This is the practice of exaggerating or lying about the worthiness of a good or service with respect to environmental impact. Our organization exists to help people find their way to economically and environmentally sound energy solutions. So, it breaks our hearts when we see some companies take advantage of the fact that it’s often easy to make a product sound better than it is. Case in point: Renewable energy in the electricity market.  

Picture of Larry Chretien Larry Chretien
Renewable energy Rhode Island Climate change

Offshore Wind Critical to Preservation of a Livable & Equitable Future

The climate crisis demands a fundamental cultural shift in our energy system. Revolution Wind 1 and the South Fork Wind projects off Rhode Island’s coast meet a critical need for large-scale carbon-free electricity generation in the Northeast. Two stewards of historic and cultural structures, the Preservation Society of Newport County and the Southeast Lighthouse Foundation, recently positioned their organizations at odds with these projects in a group of appeals that cite alleged impacts to ocean views.

Picture of Amanda Barker Amanda Barker
Renewable energy Energy policy & advocacy Electricity and the grid Action Alert

Watch Out for Misinformation About Electricity Suppliers

Green Energy Consumers Alliance has been supporting a bill in the Massachusetts legislature that would stop retail electricity suppliers from signing up new customers on an individual basis. The bill would not affect municipal aggregation. The legislation has been sponsored by Rep. Frank Moran and Senator Brendan Crighton in collaboration with Attorney General Campbell and with the support of Governor Healey. The bill is a common sense reaction to the fact that the Attorney General’s office has solid data showing how consumers receiving power from competitive electricity suppliers have collectively paid over a half billion dollars more over six years than if they received service from their utility. Low-income families and people of color have been disproportionally targeted and harmed.

Picture of Larry Chretien Larry Chretien
Renewable energy Massachusetts Green municipal aggregation

New report: GMA continues to be a success in the Bay State

Our newest report shows how Green Municipal Aggregation (GMA) allows a municipality to contract for cleaner, more affordable electricity for residents. Green Energy Consumers Alliance serves GMA programs in 21 Massachusetts communities and seven Rhode Island communities by providing additional renewable energy above and beyond what is required by state laws.

Picture of Larry Chretien Larry Chretien
Renewable energy Electricity and the grid Green municipal aggregation Rhode Island

Municipal Aggregation Comes to Rhode Island! Greener power at lower cost.

We're excited to announce the start of something good in Rhode Island. Seven cities and towns have adopted “green municipal aggregation” as a way to add more renewable energy to their electricity supply affordably. Here’s the Magnificent Seven: Barrington, Central Falls, Narragansett, Newport, Portsmouth, Providence, and South Kingstown. Better yet, starting in May, customers enrolled in these aggregations will pay a lower rate than what would be charged by Rhode Island Energy.

Green Energy Consumers Alliance
Renewable energy Energy policy & advocacy Massachusetts Electric vehicles/Transportation Electricity and the grid Energy efficiency Heating Climate change

We Like the Massachusetts Climate Bill. The Governor Must Sign It.

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. 

Picture of Larry Chretien & Anna Vanderspek Larry Chretien & Anna Vanderspek