What’s Wrong With Gov. Baker’s Climate Bill

WGBH Commentary by Sen. Marc Pacheco
March 26, 2018

On the morning of [Governor Baker’s] bond bill’s public release, I was finally able to read and analyze the administration’s language. What I found was a watered-down version of the Senate’s bill for a comprehensive climate adaptation management plan. This legislation is being misconstrued as a comprehensive piece of climate adaptation management planning when it is only one step of many. A climate adaptation management plan, even in its best form, is only our foundation.

… this bond bill involves the administration’s language on energy resources. As it stands now, the bill’s new “clean peak standard” would allow the administration to define natural gas or dirty fuel as a “clean peak energy resource.” This is an alarming development, one that flies in the face of true proaction, protection and transparency. Fossil fuels are what got us into this mess in the first place, and we should not use them as a pillar of our climate strategy. If we leave this language on the table, it is a clear win for the fossil fuel industry.

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EIA: Gas generation dropped 7.7% in 2017 while coal declined 2.5%

by Robert Walton, Utility Dive
March 20, 2018

Dive Brief:

• Changes to the United States’ power generation mix last year reflected fuel price fluctuations and the growth of renewable energy, though overall demand fell. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, total U.S. net generation fell by 1.5% in 2017, compared with the year before.

• Natural gas generation fell most steeply by 105,443 Gwh, or 7.7%, and coal generation declined 31,248 GWh, or 2.5%. More than 11 GW of capacity retired last year, with most of that being coal.

• Both wind and utility-scale solar cracked new records, according to EIA’s Electric Power Monthly.  Wind accounted for 6.3% of total net generation, and utility-scale solar made up 1.3%.

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Legislative Updates – March 2018

from Mass Power Forward

Months into 2018, urgency on climate change hasn’t dulled. In fact, with storms, blizzards, floods and power outages, the need for action is becoming ever-more visible. Fortunately, the legislature and governor are considering major action on climate and the environment. In the menatime, we need advocates to keep calling, calling, calling until the legislature acts!

» Read Mass Power Forward’s quick status report on Mass Power Forward priorities