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As States Join Forces on Transportation Policy, Massachusetts Could Raise over $5.5 Billion for Transportation Investments

Category: Press Releases

BOSTON – Today, Acadia Center released a new report illustrating the benefits of a new approach for Massachusetts to reduce transportation pollution while improving the system to better meet its citizens’ needs. This new analysis shows that, if designed well, a regional cap-and-invest policy could enable the state to make over $5.5 billion in crucial transportation investments by 2030, which would generate over 52,000 long-term jobs and $17.5 billion in economic activity. “Massachusetts could generate tremendous value for its residents through a cap-and-invest program for transportation,” said Deborah Donovan, Massachusetts Director and Senior Advocate at Acadia Center. “By capping transportation
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Clean energy advocates push for aggressive electric vehicle roadmap

Category: News

The Connecticut EV Coalition advocates for solidifying the Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program at least through 2025. The program offers incentives up to $5,000 for state residents who buy or lease a new battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric or fuel cell electric vehicle. At least 35 vehicles are eligible for the program, and industry leaders say more electric cars — with longer mileage ranges — are coming to dealerships every year. The CHEAPR program is not funded through taxpayer or ratepayer dollars but through merger settlement funds set aside to help the state meet clean energy goals. “Electrifying and
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Conn. Zero-Carbon Awards Include Nukes, OSW, Solar

Category: News

Connecticut officials in June announced they would purchase 200 MW of output from the Revolution Wind project, adding to Rhode Island’s 400-MW procurement. (See Conn. Awards 200-MW OSW, 50-MW Fuel Cell Deals.) The additional 100-MW “procurement is another step forward for Connecticut in growing its commitment to offshore wind,” said Emily Lewis, senior policy analyst at Acadia Center. “Adding more offshore wind to the state’s clean energy portfolio will continue the momentum of this growing industry … To ensure continued growth of this industry in Connecticut, the state should set an offshore wind mandate similar to other east coast states.”
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Millstone, offshore wind among zero-carbon auction winners

Category: News

Emily Lewis, senior policy analyst at Acadia Center, called the offshore wind procurement “another step forward for Connecticut.” “Adding more offshore wind to the state’s clean energy portfolio will continue the momentum of this growing industry,” she said. “By carving out a portion of this RFP for offshore wind, the state is working to incrementally build its clean energy economy.” Lewis said it seemed like Connecticut was “being a little shy” to enter the offshore wind game compared to Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island. She noted the Acadia Center and Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs called
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Connecticut Boosts Offshore Wind in Selecting 100 MW Project

Category: Press Releases

HARTFORD, CT – Today, Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) selected Ørsted US Offshore Wind’s proposal for 100 MW of offshore wind as one of the winning renewable energy bids in its Zero Carbon Resource request for proposals. DEEP also selected Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant, and about 165 MW of solar projects – some including storage – to move forward to contract negotiations. The winning proposal from Ørsted US Offshore Wind, formerly Deepwater Wind, is an expansion of the 200 MW Revolution Wind project chosen this summer that was approved by the Public Utilities
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9 States Target Transportation Emissions with New Cap-and-Trade Plan

Category: News

“I think they will want to draw on successful precedent, including California, but they also need to work with the communities that they are trying to help in this region,” said Jordan Stutt, Carbon Programs director at the Acadia Center, an organization focused on clean energy development in the Northeast. “Making sure that there is a spot at the table for those communities to weigh in on how this program should be structured and how those benefits can delivered will be hugely important,” Stutt said. Read the full article from Inside Climate News here.

Massachusetts’ popular electric vehicle rebates are about to shrink

Category: News

To reach these ambitious numbers, it is essential to implement measures to help consumers of all income levels go electric, activists said. “We absolutely need to take new steps to improve access to electric vehicles to low-income residents,” said Mark LeBel, staff attorney at the Acadia Center, a Boston-based nonprofit that promotes the development of clean energy economies. Offering larger rebates to lower-income buyers and expanding the program to include used vehicles could help achieve this goal, LeBel said. Financing options that offered low or no-interest loans could also be useful, he said. Read the full article from Energy News
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Cap-and-Trade for Cars Is Coming to the Northeast

Category: News

“This is a great step forward for a region that desperately needs a more modern transportation system,” said Jordan Stutt, the director of carbon programs at the Acadia Center, a Boston-based environmental group. “I think this is a reflection of the kind of process we want to see more of when it comes to climate and economic policy.” Others pointed to the additional benefits associated with cutting carbon emissions from cars and trucks, including cuts to other pollutants that are harmful to public health. Read the full article from Scientific American here.

In landmark agreement, Mass., eight other states vow to cut transportation emissions

Category: News

One group that has long called for a regional agreement on transportation emissions estimated it could raise more than $5.5 billion over a decade and generate more than 50,000 jobs in Massachusetts. “A cap-and-invest program could unleash billions of dollars to deliver the overdue improvements this region needs,” said Jordan Stutt, carbon programs director for the Acadia Center, an environmental advocacy group in Boston. Read the full article from the Boston Globe here.

Connecticut efficiency program turns focus to smaller commercial buildings

Category: News

Poor energy performance is not unique to Stamford; the whole state is grappling with energy efficiency. Connecticut continues to have some of the highest energy costs in the country. Though Connecticut has made progress over the last two decades — primarily through its Conservation and Load Management energy efficiency program — it now risks falling behind other states in New England. According to the Acadia Center, a nonprofit advocating for a clean energy future, Connecticut invests in cost-effective electric efficiency at “roughly half the levels pursued in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.” Read the full article from Energy News Network here.