Conservative think tanks pitch ditching solar and wind
BOSTON (WWLP) – A group of conservative think tanks and watchdog groups held a news conference on Tuesday, highlighting a new report suggesting that New England could save hundreds of billions of dollars by switching from wind and solar power back to nuclear and natural gas.
The findings, presented by Always on Energy Research, indicate that the region’s renewable energy costs could reach $815 billion by 2050. The report outlines that nuclear energy could reduce costs by $399.5 billion and natural gas by $708 billion when compared to the projected expenses of renewable energy projects.
“The report released today is unfortunately more deeply flawed analysis presenting a highly distorted and unrealistic view of New England’s grid and energy systems,” said Kyle Murray, Acadia Center’s Director of State Program Implementation and Massachusetts Program Director. “It is the same nonsense we have seen time and time again. The numbers are fictious. It’s magical thinking, completely at odds with reality. No serious grid planning or even modeling exercise would put all power generation eggs in just one or two baskets. Any low cost grid mix is going to include a portfolio of many resource categories, and we know that renewables are poised to anchor the most cost-effective portfolio for the region. Further, across the country, and in the Northeast, states with higher natural gas penetration have higher electricity rates – whereas states that have added more renewables have seen smaller electric rate hikes over the past two-plus decades.”
To read the full article from WWLP, click here.
Conservative think tanks challenge New England’s clean energy strategy
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, Jan. 13, 2025…..A new report promoted by conservative New England think tanks warns that the region’s decarbonization plans could add as much as $815 billion in electricity costs by 2050.
Kyle Murray, Acadia Center’s director of state program implementation and Massachusetts program director, said no grid planning “would put all power generation eggs in just one or two baskets.”
“Any low cost grid mix is going to include a portfolio of many resource categories, and we know that renewables are poised to anchor the most cost-effective portfolio for the region,” Murray said.
“Across the country, and in the Northeast, states with higher natural gas penetration have higher electricity rates – whereas states that have added more renewables have seen smaller electric rate hikes over the past two-plus decades,” Murray said.
To read the full article from State House News Service, click here.
Will the environment be a big topic during the legislative session? What to expect
Two years ago, the state Senate approved legislation that aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heating and cooling buildings in Rhode Island, but the measure was held up in the House.
At a meeting last month of the state Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council, Emily Koo, Rhode Island director of the Acadia Center, a clean energy advocacy group, spoke of a “vacuum of climate leadership” across state government.
Koo said she’s hoping for more attention in the General Assembly on reducing the state’s reliance on natural gas. She mentioned a proposal to limit new spending on the gas delivery system. She also said that reduced electric rates for heat pump users and variable rates that could make it cheaper to charge electric cars would also help.
To read the full article from the Providence Journal, click here.
New report: Gas utilities spent record amount replacing leaky pipes in 2024
Gas utilities in Massachusetts spent a record amount of money in 2024 replacing leaky pipes through the state’s Gas System Enhancement Program, according to a newly released report from regulators, even as the actual miles of replaced pipes remained stubbornly flat since the program’s inception a decade ago.
“We’ve just seen an absolute explosion in the costs of this program, and it appears to be far beyond inflation,” said Kyle Murray, Massachusetts program director at Acadia Center, an environmental research and advocacy nonprofit.
“If you do business as usual here, you’re going to keep throwing money at a system that is becoming antiquated,” Murray said. “And we’re going to stick an ever-declining ratebase with these costs, and then you are going to end up in an even greater affordability crisis. We’re going to be stuck with stranded assets if we don’t change the way we fundamentally do business here.”
To read the full article from Commonwealth Beacon, click here.
Funding, infrastructure delays have held up electrification of the commuter rail
For years, the idea to replace the existing diesel engines on the Massachusetts commuter rail system with electric ones has promised a slew of potential benefits across the region. Decreased carbon emissions and air pollution, increased economic opportunities and more frequent, reliable and quiet services are among them.
So why is the idea still just an idea?
The Fairmount line was chosen as the test line for a variety of reasons. Its current emissions negatively and disproportionately affect environmental justice communities predominantly made up of Black, brown and immigrant residents. It’s also the shortest of the 12 commuter rail lines and it is fully within the city of Boston.
“The hope of the [Fairmount line] project is that we can show that we can really do this. That is just the first step towards the electrification of the entire commuter rail,” said Daniel Gatti, director of the Transportation Program at the Acadia Center.
“We know that trains that are powered by electricity, they accelerate faster, they stop faster. They’re more reliable in their service in difficult conditions,” Gatti said. “They just provide a better passenger experience. But can we come up with the upfront cost? Can we come up with the capital that we need to make these kinds of investments? That’s the issue that we’re seeing in climate policy again and again.”
To read the full article from Boston Business Journal, click here.
Trump administration suspends five offshore wind projects, including Vineyard Wind, escalating attack on renewables
Citing national security concerns, the Trump administration suspended five federal leases for offshore wind projects on Monday — the latest salvo in the White House’s fight against renewable energy. Two New England projects, Vineyard Wind and Revolution Wind, were among those caught in the crosshairs.
Kyle Murray, Massachusetts program director for the advocacy group the Acadia Center, called the decision Monday an unjustified attack by this administration on clean and cheap electricity.
“The end result will be higher energy costs for ratepayers and higher profits for fossil fuel companies and utilities,” he said.
To read the full article from the Boston Globe, click here.
‘It just seems like amateur hour’: As climate bill worked through Beacon Hill, industry donations poured in
In early November, state Representative Mark Cusack found himself in a difficult position.
Environmental advocates were apoplectic about a climate bill the new chairman had authored that would weaken the state’s historic climate goals. But the well-funded energy industry had an interest in the bill, too; they argued it would help consumers and businesses facing high energy costs.
However, environmental advocates warn, cutting programs like Mass Save would put the state’s climate goals even further out of reach. The program is the only real tool the state has for getting people to trade in fossil fuels for electric heat pumps, which can be powered by renewable energy, a key part of the state’s plan to reduce emissions.
Kyle Murray, of the clean energy policy nonprofit Acadia Center, said taking a pause on the bill is a good thing. He hopes the final version of the bill will maintain the state’s commitment to reducing emissions and other climate targets.
“Energy is a very complicated subject,“ he said. ”I would hate for us to make some rash decisions that actually set back energy affordability.”
To read the full article from the Boston Globe, click here.
PUC Considering Cuts to R.I. Energy’s Efficiency Programs
WARWICK, R.I.— Is it time for the state to cut its energy-efficiency programs?
That’s the question state utility regulators are considering as the year draws to a close. Rhode Island Energy, the main utility company and sole administrator of the programs, says it’s time to cut the budget and “right-size” the amount of money Rhode Islanders are charged.
Environmental groups and advocates, however, including the state council on energy-efficiency programs, say it’s not the time to downsize key initiatives that let Rhode Islanders use less energy and save money.
Those benefits have a direct dollar amount, both in Rhode Island and around the country. Collectively, state-level energy-efficiency programs in New England between 2012 and 2023 have delivered $55 billion in benefits to families and businesses, with a return of $3.40 in benefits for every dollar invested, according to a study completed earlier this year by the Acadia Center.
“How I describe the programs to ratepayers and customers, is that while it shows up as a line item on their utility bills, efficiency helps them reduce the other items on the bill,” said Emily Koo, Rhode Island program director for the Acadia Center. “That includes supply, transmission, and distribution charges.”
Rhode Island Energy’s proposed cuts have been opposed by the Acadia Center, multiple elected officials in the General Assembly, and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.
To read the full article from ecoRI, click here.
Lawmakers advance worrying bill that could have disastrous long-term impacts: ‘It will drive up costs for ratepayers’
With rising electricity costs a nationwide concern, lawmakers across the country are seeking ways to bring prices down.
A recent proposal in Massachusetts has sparked widespread backlash, with critics warning it would set back years of progress, sacrificing long-term affordability for short-term gains.
“The best you could say is that it is going after short-term affordability at the expense of long-term affordability,” added Kyle Murray, Massachusetts program director at Acadia Center, a climate-action nonprofit. “Unfortunately, because it misunderstands the actual drivers of cost, it will drive up costs for ratepayers.”
To read the full article from The Cool Down, click here.
Raab Associates’ Restructuring Roundtable Looks Back on 30 Years
BOSTON — Raab Associates held its final New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable on Dec. 5, bringing reflections from speakers about the legacy of restructuring and the future of the power sector in the region.
Dan Sosland, president and co-founder of the Acadia Center, said the Roundtable has been somewhat unique among power industry events for its inclusion of climate and environmental perspectives.
“At the Roundtable we were co-equals,” Sosland said. “We were included, and that’s a testament to” Raab Associates President and Roundtable convenor Jonathan Raab.
While most demand growth projections forecast peak demand to roughly double by 2050, “I don’t think these have to be written in stone,” said Jamie Dickerson, senior director of energy and climate programs at Acadia. He pointed to a Brattle Group study indicating that grid flexibility could reduce New York’s 2040 winter peak by about 21%. (See Study Finds Considerable ‘Grid Flexibility’ Potential in New York.)
Jesse Jenkins, a Princeton University associate professor focused on the decarbonization of energy systems, echoed Dickerson’s comments and said even greater demand flexibility gains may be achieved if costs come down for technologies like thermal storage.
“There are lots of ways we can cut [peak demand forecasts], including ground-source geothermal, which is often twice as efficient, if not more, than air-source heat pumps,” he said.
Dickerson also stressed the importance of energy efficiency investments while urging policymakers to find more progressive ways to fund EE programs, including through the tax base.
“We do need to lean on those with a greater ability to pay,” he said.
To read the full article from RTO Insider, click here.