Growing cruise ship industry splits a Maine island town and worries Boston residents

Hundreds of thousands of cruise ship passengers head to the small town of Bar Harbor, Maine, from May through August, swamping the quaint streets and infusing local shops with cash.

Residents concerned about air pollution from the ships and the crush of tourists brought forth a ballot initiative two years ago meant to slash the number of visitors to 1,000 a day. Though lawsuits from local businesses stymied much of that effort, village officials now hope a compromise bill limiting numbers to 3,200 will be approved on Nov. 5.

As environmentalist Kyle Murray watched tugboats muscle the 3,660-passenger ship Enchanted Princess to the wharf at Flynn Cruiseport recently, he questioned the push for such massive ships here.

“Because [the cruiseport] is pushed off to the side, not as visible, people aren’t as aware of how big [the ships] are and how much how much pollution it contributes,” said Murray, who directs state policy at the Acadia Center, an environmental and clean energy advocacy nonprofit based in Boston. “It’s just not sustainable to keep going bigger and bigger.”

To read the full article from GBH, click here.

Massachusetts DPU Approves Electric Sector Modernization Plans

On August 28, 2024, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) issued its final Order in the Electric Sector Modernization Plans (ESMP) proceeding (DPU 24-10, 24-11, 24-12), marking a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to modernize the state’s electric grid.

The ESMPs are the utilities’ plans to proactively upgrade Massachusetts’ distribution system to improve reliability and resiliency in the face of increasingly severe climate change impacts. The ESMPs are also a roadmap for how the state’s utilities will prepare the grid for broad deployment of distributed energy resources and help facilitate the electrification of our buildings and transportation sectors.

The DPU has now approved an ESMP for each of the three investor-owned utilities in the state. This is the culmination of many years of work from many different stakeholders, not only since the passage of the Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind (2022) that required the ESMPs, but also from the previous years of work on grid modernization that has taken place in Massachusetts. Acadia Center is an executive member of the Grid Modernization Advisory Council (GMAC), which was set up alongside the ESMP process to guide the development of the plans and provide input and recommendations before the plans were submitted to the DPU. Acadia Center served as a member of the GMAC, as well as the GMAC Equity Working Group.

Over the course of the first five-year term, the utilities plan to spend billions of dollars across a range of activities to upgrade the distribution grid and enable a cleaner and more flexible system, all of which will result in billions of dollars’ worth of benefits for customers and the state. For example, the utilities plan to invest in infrastructure to support the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), electric vehicles, virtual power plants (VPPs), and distributed energy resources (DER) such as rooftop solar and battery storage; network and communications upgrades to optimize the use of distributed energy resources; and grid hardening, automation, and other resiliency measures, among many other investments.

The ESMPs are strategic five-year plans to guide future proposals that the utilities will then submit to the DPU for approval. By issuing its Order, the DPU has approved the plans but has not guaranteed approval or cost recovery for any specific project, which will have to go through more detailed assessment in the future.

Here are some key highlights from the Order:

• The DPU directs the utilities to establish a long-term stakeholder planning process (LTSPP). The LTSPP will start as a six-month process, beginning in October 2024, and will consider a range of issues, including how best to enable distributed generation hosting capacity in specific locations and the role of flexible interconnection in avoiding the need for system upgrades.
• The Order builds on the DPU’s groundbreaking 2023 Future of Gas decision (20-80-B), which required Integrated Energy Planning (IEP) to better coordinate electric and gas system planning efforts. The DPU now provides more detail on how the IEP process will be developed and how the utilities will work with stakeholders to establish a Joint Utility Planning Working Group.
• The utilities and other stakeholders are directed to develop a statewide community engagement framework to improve stakeholder engagement in utilities’ distribution system planning processes. The utilities will then follow the framework before filing electric distribution system infrastructure projects for approval by the DPU and/or the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB).
• The utilities are required to submit biannual filings to the DPU throughout the ESMP term. The reports will include updated forecasts and an assessment of how the latest forecasts lined up with actual demand; a description of any reprioritization of investments; updates on how the utilities are addressing structural and distributional equity in the implementation of the ESMPs; as well as updates on financing that the utilities are seeking (e.g. state and federal grants, tax incentives, etc.) to help fund the ESMP investments. Future ESMPs will also need to include data from advanced metering infrastructure and smart meters, which are currently being deployed across Massachusetts; rate design solutions, particularly time-varying rates as AMI is deployed; as well as updated distributional and structural equity analyses.
• The DPU makes clear that it now expects the utilities to incorporate Non-Wires Alternatives (NWA) into “their typical planning processes.” This is a major win for customers, as NWA such as energy efficiency, demand response, battery storage and other DER, can often be cleaner and cheaper than traditional infrastructure investments.
• The Order maintains the Provisional Program for DER from DPU 20-75 in terms of how upgrades to accommodate new DER projects are paid for. Rather than having the individual DER developer be responsible for the entire cost of any necessary system upgrades, which can often be financially prohibitive, customers will help fund the initial cost of the upgrades. Customers will be reimbursed over time from fees charged to future distributed generation facilities that are able to interconnect due to the prior upgrades.

In approving the ESMPs, the DPU chose not to implement a number of recommendations from Acadia Center and other stakeholders that were intended to strengthen the plans and ensure that they delivered even more benefits to customers. For example:

• Acadia Center and other stakeholders strongly recommended that the DPU reject utility proposals for “hybrid heating” systems (i.e. projects that include both electric heat pumps and gas or fossil-fuel backup systems), renewable natural gas, and hydrogen. In the Future of Gas proceeding (DPU 20-80-B), the DPU was not persuaded that pursuit of a broad hybrid heating strategy, which would itself necessitate maintenance of the natural gas system to support backup heating systems, is a viable path forward for the Commonwealth. In making that argument, the DPU specifically pointed to improvements in cold climate heat pump technology that will generally eliminate the need for backup heating systems in the future. In the ESMP Order, however, the DPU decided not to take a position on “specific decarbonization pathways,” which the 2022 Clean Energy Act prohibited as part of the ESMP approvals, and declined to explicitly reject hybrid heating, hydrogen, or renewable natural gas projects. However, the DPU noted that the LDCs will be filing Climate Compliance Plans in April 2025, in which those types of projects will be explored in more detail, so the DPU has not ruled out an official determination on the matter.
• Stakeholders pointed to inconsistencies across the utilities in terms of their forecasting methodologies, inputs, and assumptions. Although the DPU determined that the utilities’ approach to forecasting satisfied the original statutory requirements, it will require the utilities to incorporate new and updated data in future ESMPs and to work with the GMAC going forward on sensitivity analyses.
• Stakeholders recommended a clearer directive for the Joint Utility Planning Working Group and expectations around timelines and work products. While some specifics were left undecided, the Joint Working Group is nevertheless tasked with (1) developing a shared understanding of the utilities’ networks and network planning processes; (2) leveraging Integrated Energy Planning best practices; (3) conducting joint gas-electric planning studies; (4) creating a roadmap to strengthen IEP capabilities; among other activities.
• The DPU determined that the estimated bill impacts of the plans were reasonable given expected benefits that will result from the ESMPs. Stakeholders had argued that the ESMPs did not present an accurate picture of ratepayer impacts, in part because of the categorization of certain investments and the lack of clarity in terms of benefit-cost analysis.
• Stakeholders including Acadia Center identified a number of concerns with the Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) used in the ESMPs. Although the Department did not ultimately require changes to the BCAs in the plans, it noted that more detailed BCAs will be required when the utilities request cost recovery for specific investments in future rate cases.

Despite these gaps, the ESMPs represent a major turning point in Massachusetts’ path towards a modernized and decarbonized electric grid.

Webinar – Bridging the Power Gap: How Bidirectional Clean Energy Benefits the US Northeast and Eastern Canada

 

 

Last week Acadia Center, Environmental League of Massachusetts, and New England for Offshore Wind hosted a webinar – Bridging the Power Gap: How Bidirectional Clean Energy Benefits the US Northeast and Eastern Canada.

Panelists Hannes Pfeifenberger, Adrienne Downey and Emil Dimanchev shared their considerable expertise, and Acadia Center’s Senior Director of Climate and Clean Energy Programs, Jamie Dickerson, led a lively discussion on the possibilities of joint US/Canadian coordination and planning of energy resources, including enhanced reliability, cost and resiliency, as well as increased trade opportunities.

“Offshore wind is ‘pretty much a match made in heaven’ with hydropower when there is enough transmission capacity to enable hydro to firm up the intermittencies of wind.” – Adrienne Downey of Hexicon and Power Advisory

The presentation slides for the event can be found here: Bridging the Power Gap Slides

To stay engaged in the conversation, please follow Northeast Grid Planning Forum (NGPF), a joint effort of Acadia Center and Nergica, on LinkedIn. If you have questions, please reach out to Carolyn Dykema cdykema@acadiacenter.org.

Massachusetts again leads on climate change. The state (finally, almost) has a sweeping climate bill.

Months after the close of the formal legislative session, when lawmakers on Beacon Hill came oh-so-close to passing significant reforms only to fall short at the 11th hour, House and Senate negotiators announced a comprehensive bill on Thursday that addresses the climate crisis and promotes more clean energy adoption. The legislation would again put Massachusetts near the front of pack of state houses fighting climate change.

Thursday’s announcement was met with an outpouring of support from advocates and activists.

Kyle Murray, Massachusetts program director for the advocacy group the Acadia Center, called it a “major win for the Commonwealth: for ratepayers, public health, climate resiliency, and our clean energy future.”

To read the full article from the Boston Globe, click here.

Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month Event Identifies Challenges, Celebrates Leaders

Hartford, CT – Tuesday morning, 40 environmental justice advocates, community leaders, legislators, and supporters gathered at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford for a roundtable discussion in celebration of Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month, hosted by the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity, and Opportunity (CWCSEO) and Save the Sound. Conversation centered around the environmental challenges faced by Connecticut’s Latine communities, and the impactful work of Latine leaders advocating for environmental justice in the state.

“As intersectional as our communities are, so are our environmental and energy justice challenges. At a time when Connecticut communities are experiencing some of the highest energy costs in the country, Black and Latine communities are disproportionately impacted,” said Jayson Velazquez, Climate and Energy Justice Policy Associate at the Acadia Center. “Energy burden, which is the percentage of income a household pays for energy, is extremely high in our communities. We must ensure our programs, such as the state’s energy efficiency programs, are deeply invested in to meet the needs of folks who could benefit the most as we continue our clean energy transition. We are missing the mark, and as leaders with access, proximity, and power in processes, we cannot leave each other behind.”

To read the full press release from Save the Sound, click here.

Power Sharing Pitched To Ease Clean Energy Transition

OCT. 9, 2024…..Policymakers across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada are grappling with the best way to navigate a complicated transition to clean energy, and a group of experts wants them to consider sharing power more directly across the border.

Clean energy advocates and academics laid out a case Wednesday for embracing a “bidirectional” approach, which would split Canadian hydropower and New England offshore wind energy for the two countries depending on fluctuations in availablity and demand.

“Adopting a bidirectional planning approach affords us the opportunity for the region’s whole to become greater than the sum of its parts, which otherwise might look like the states and provinces and their respective system operators acting by themselves,” said Jamie Dickerson, senior director of climate and clean energy programs at The Acadia Center.

But turning that concept into reality requires more work, Dickerson and other experts said at a discussion hosted by the Environmental League of Mass., the New England for Offshore Wind coalition and the Acadia Center.

New England governors, including Gov. Maura Healey, and eastern Canadian premiers last month announced they would revive a cross-border energy committee with a goal of boosting regional collaboration and planning.

“It’s happening in pieces, and now it’s about stitching it all together,” Dickerson said.

To read the full article from State House News, click here.

Panel Calls for Greater Interregional Planning Across the Northeast

Unlocking the full potential of Quebec hydropower to balance renewables through the Northeast will require major efforts to overcome barriers to transmission planning and development, speakers at a webinar led by the Acadia Center emphasized on Oct. 9.

While studies have shown increased bidirectional transmission capacity between the Eastern Canadian provinces and the Eastern U.S. could significantly reduce the costs of decarbonizing the grid, such transmission projects so far have struggled. (See Québec, New England See Shifting Role for Canadian Hydropower and National Grid Backs out of Twin States Clean Energy Link Project.)

To read the full article from RTO Insider, click here.

More good news for heat pumps in Massachusetts, as regulators order National Grid to develop special rate

Environmental advocates are hailing a decision by Massachusetts regulators that will give more than 1.3 million households access to lower winter electricity prices if they use a heat pump in their home.

Public utilities regulators on Monday ordered National Grid, the state’s second-largest electric company, to develop a lower, seasonal rate for houses with heat pumps. The decision comes three months after the state approved a similar rate plan by Unitil, an electric utility that serves 108,500 Massachusetts households.

“They hit the nail on the head here,” said Kyle Murray, Massachusetts program director for climate and energy nonprofit Acadia Center.

To read the full article from Energy News Network, click here.

Advocates hope utility’s winter heat pump rate discount becomes model for Massachusetts utilities

Residents with heat pumps in four Massachusetts towns will soon pay hundreds of dollars less for their electricity over the winter, thanks to a new pricing approach advocates hope will become a model for utilities across the state.

The cost of powering these systems though, can be its own problem. Natural gas prices have been trending precipitously downward for the past two years and Massachusetts has long had some of the highest electricity prices in the country. This disparity can be particularly stark in the winter, when consumers using natural gas for heating get priority, requiring the grid to lean more heavily on dirtier, more expensive oil- and coal-fueled power plants, said Kyle Murray, Massachusetts program director for climate and energy nonprofit Acadia Center.

So switching from natural gas to an electric heat source — even a more efficient one like a heat pump — doesn’t always mean savings for a consumer, especially those with lower incomes.

“Electric rates are disproportionately higher than gas rates in the region,” Murray said.

Public utilities regulators are in the middle of considering a rate case filed by National Grid, which serves some 1.3 million customers in Massachusetts. National Grid has proposed what it calls a technology-neutral “electrification rate,” which would provide discounts to certain high-volume energy users, which would include heat pump users.

However, several advocates for low-income households and clean energy — including Acadia Center, Conservation Law Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, Low-Income Energy Affordability Network — as well as the state energy department and Attorney General Andrea Campbell argue that this approach is inadequate. They’ve submitted comments urging regulators to require National Grid to offer a heat pump rate similar to Unitil’s plan, but modified to work within National Grid’s pricing model.

“Every intervenor in the docket who commented on the electrification proposal in any capacity was negative on it,” Murray said. “And the [department of public utilities] in its questioning seemed fairly skeptical as well.”

National Grid declined to comment on the pending rate case.

To read the full article from Energy News Network, click here.

Learn about three nonprofits working to foster innovation and build resilient infrastructure

Every month in 2024, we are highlighting the work of Give Lively member nonprofits in one category of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.

The United Nations website states that “the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)… are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.”

‍SDG Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Acadia Center

This organization’s mission is to advance bold, effective clean energy solutions for a livable climate and a stronger, more equitable economy  in the northeast of the United States. Acadia Center believes that for the future to be climate-safe, humanity can’t afford to play it safe. Their audacious plan? Cut carbon emissions in the Northeast by 50% or more by 2030. Together with policymakers, environmental justice partners and donors, Acadia Center aims to build an energy system that puts people front and center, shifting conversations to promote equitable solutions. Acadia Center works to amplify voices that are not always heard or heeded, striving to find common ground so that our communities have clean, healthy, affordable energy so we all can thrive.

Acadia Center uses a Give Lively-powered Simple Donation Widget to collect donations on its website. It also used a Campaign Page on Earth Day: “Reimagining, Representing, and Reinforcing this Earth Day with Acadia Center!”

To read the full article from Give Lively, click here.