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On March 10 th , the RhodeIsland Public Utilities Commission held a public hearing on electricity rates. The hearing was picked up by several news outlets and some excerpts from the news coverage were disseminated through social media. We heard one thing that we suspected was wildly incorrect.
The governors of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and RhodeIsland, and the mayor of the District of Columbia announced that theirs will be the first jurisdictions to launch a new multi-state program that the principals expect will invest some $300 million per year in cleaner transportation choices.
Utility-supplied natural gas (methane) is the primary heating fuel in both Massachusetts and RhodeIsland, supplying 52% and 54% of homes, respectively. Given their mandates to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, both states are exploring strategies to transition away from their prevalent gas distribution systems.
On Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC) released it s most recent report , which states in no uncertain terms that we need to increase the pace of greenhouse gas emissions reductions. To avoid the worst effects of climatechange, the IP CC report said we must reduce carbon emissions by two thirds by 2035.
All the participating jurisdictions are members of the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), a regional collaboration of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia that seeks to improve transportation, develop the clean energy economy, and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector.
Now, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced who got awarded – and school districts in Massachusetts and RhodeIsland are on the list! Earlier this summer, we wrote about applications being open for the Clean School Bus Program. GECA staff and partners with an electric school bus in Beverly, MA.
RhodeIsland has committed to combating climatechange by adopting one of the strongest climate policies in the nation: An Act on Climate , committing the state to 45% emissions reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050. While RhodeIsland is at the forefront of aggressive climate policy, it is not alone.
On Friday, Superior Court Judge Brian Stern put a pause on PPL's purchase of RhodeIsland's electric and gas utility from National Grid. This pause is temporary and will allow for the judge to hear the Attorney General's case on why the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers misunderstood the laws that govern this transaction.
On December 15th, RhodeIsland's Executive ClimateChange Coordinating Council (EC4) approved the final draft of the 2022 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan. Green Energy Consumers, unfortunately, found the Plan lacking in several ways, which we will detail in this blog.
(RhodeIslanders this is a story about Massachusetts, but it applies to the Ocean State just as well, given the Act on Climate.) Mass Save is the Commonwealths major energy efficiency program. Its jointly administered by the investor-owned gas and electric utilities and the Cape Light Compact.
Recently, electric vehicles (EVs) have been in the news because various states around the country including our very own RhodeIsland are introducing extra registration fees for EVs.
Selin and Friedman use the global 3-D chemical transport model GEOS-Chem to track the day-to-day transport of PAHs—toxic byproducts of burning wood, coal, oil and other forms of energy that remain in the atmosphere for less time than other persistent organic pollutants regulated by global standards.
If you’re a Massachusetts or RhodeIsland resident, there is an opportunity for you to take action in February in support of heavy-duty vehicle electrification. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks not only contribute to climatechange but also release nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) which are hazardous to human health.
The Commonwealth’s Clean Energy Biofuels Act, signed in July 2008, also required Massachusetts to seek an agreement with its fellow RGGI member states to implement a LCFS on a regional basis. Tags: ClimateChange Emissions Fuels Policy.
At Green Energy Consumers Alliance, we’re all about that “think globally, act locally” thing. So it hurts to report that our beloved states, Massachusett s and RhodeIsland, have carbon emissions going up, not down as their laws and the planet require. Unfortunat el y, this is true at a global and national level as well.
Seize the day might be a good mantra if youre exploring your options for reducing your energy costs in 2025. While there is potential for changes to energy programs at both the local and federal levels, there are many incentives currently still available.
As the presidential election approaches, we are grounded in the work that has been done in the first half of this decade to advance clean energy policy and jobs, reduce household energy costs, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
RhodeIsland ’s Executive ClimateChange Coordinating Council (EC4) needs your input on their draft chapter s of the 2022 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan: P riority A ctions within the Electric, Transportation, and Thermal Sectors. Comments are due by December 2 nd. You can access the draft chapters here.
Under this scenario, the estimated total health and climatechange costs associated with passenger vehicle fleet pollution drops from to $37 billion annually to $15.7 The answer is to move to passenger vehicles that run on clean, renewable energy, and the Zero Emission Vehicle program that has been adopted by 10 states is key.
We are excited to launch the Consumers for Climate Podcast, now available on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , and Amazon Music ! This podcast reflects our mission to empower consumers and communities to make energy choices that speed a just transition to a zero-carbon world.
Conducted by Hart Research between June 7-16, this poll surveyed over 1,200 registered voters in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and RhodeIsland, showcasing strong regional support for transitioning to clean, renewable energy sources.
Our non-profit organization is committed to educating people about climate-friendly behaviors and technologies. We're also advocates for excellent climate policies in Massachusetts and RhodeIsland. Here are our most useful and popular blogs and webinars of 2021.
RhodeIsland and Massachusetts both have mandates to reduce statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels: 50% for Massachusetts and 45% for RhodeIsland.
Some politicians in Massachusetts and RhodeIsland are calling on their state governments to reduce or eliminate the gas tax in response to rising prices since Russia invaded Ukraine a couple weeks ago. That’s an awful idea and political pandering at its worst.
In RhodeIsland, that’s the Public Utilities Commission (PUC); in Massachusetts, that’s the Department of Public Utilities (DPU). In our work, we pay close attention to the agencies regulating the electric and gas utilities. Both commissions have always had a big job – regulating what economists call "natural monopolies."
If you’re like 9 9 % of Massachusetts and RhodeIsland drivers, the car you own no w has an internal combustion engine (ICE) that runs on gasoline. N ow might be a smart time to trade in your gas-powered car for an EV. Here’s why.
Under the Act on Climate , RhodeIsland must meet 4 different emissions reduction mandates: 10% below 1990 levels by 2020 ; 45% by 2030 ; 80% by 2040 ; and net- zero emissions by 2050.
Massachusetts and RhodeIsland have both committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions economy-wide to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Achieving these required reductions means zeroing out emissions associated with heating our homes and businesses, which means phasing out the combustion of fossil fuels for heat.
According to 2022 American Community Survey estimates, 153,000, or about 5 percent, of homes across Massachusetts and RhodeIsland use propane as their primary heating fuel. This blog provides a brief introduction to the fuel, if it will ever be affordable, and its climate impacts.
Department of Energy (DOE) released a report suggesting that, in theory, over 300 former and present coal power plants could be converted to nuclear. A lot of communities that may have not traditionally been looking at advanced nuclear, or nuclear energy in general, are now being incentivized to look at it,” says Victor Ibarra Jr. ,
According to the science, over the next 7 years we must focus on reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases significantly to halve emissions by 2030 and avoid the worst impacts of climatechange. Getting there requires an all-of-society approach; getting there requires leadership at all levels of government.
Meeting climate goals anywhere, including Massachusetts and RhodeIsland, depends upon electrifying everything – cars, space heating, water heating, stoves, and clothes dryers. Combustion has to be phased out. Federal and state purchase incentives for many of those items help level the playing field on an up-front cost basis.
You may be reading more about climate policy in the news because of COP26, the global conference in Glasgow to address the climate crisis hosted by the United Nations. This work is important for the sake of international cooperation and because climatechange is a global issue.
In addition, although many experts say that the solution to our energy and climate problems is sending the correct price signals to industry and consumers, the transport sector’s behavior is highly inelastic in that it does not change significantly in response to changes in fuel prices, at least in the range that is politically acceptable.
Last week's national election was horrible for federal energy and climate policy. Green Energy Consumers Alliance is not chartered to engage in elections, but we are allowed to talk policy. So, we will.
The climate crisis demands a fundamental cultural shift in our energy system. Revolution Wind 1 and the South Fork Wind projects off RhodeIsland’s coast meet a critical need for large-scale carbon-free electricity generation in the Northeast.
On August 16, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest investment in fighting climatechange on the national level this country has ever seen. The IRA is a huge deal and fundamentally changes the game for our work here at the state level.
Markey of Massachusetts, both Democrats, built their climatechange bill last year in large measure around it. The legislation would also provide new incentives for domestic oil and gas drilling, nuclear power plant construction, carbon capture and storage, and renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Overview of RGGI.
Nonetheless, offshore wind remains imperative to not only meeting our climate goals, but ensuring energy independence, jobs, and local economic growth. On the first day of his second term, Trump issued an Executive Order halting all permitting and lease sales for the technology.
While he didn’t mention EVs by name, we know that there is no way to get there without a dramatic surge in electric vehicles fueled by clean energy. This past week, 12 governors (California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, RhodeIsland, and Washington) followed our lead.
This culminated at the end of March when Republican Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed comprehensive climatechange legislation codifying a commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Putting the brake on regional pollution Also in December, Massachusetts, along with Connecticut, RhodeIsland, and Washington D.C.,
There are many pieces covering his background and positions, but we here at Electrek are primarily interested in candidates’ positions on the things we cover – EVs, clean energy, and climatechange. In order to meet this timeline, Walz worked on streamlining permitting reform , removing red tape from new clean energy projects.
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