The Northeast Power Coordinating Council, a non-profit oversight group responsible for ensuring the reliability of electricity throughout the Northeastern United States, recently determined that New England will have an adequate supply of electricity this summer. A rise in supply, due to additional renewable resources, combined with a fall in demand, due to energy efficiency, has created a comfortable cushion of reliability, and should also push prices downward.
That simple determination comes as a breath of fresh air. The gas industry’s shrill claim that we need more dirty and dangerous fossil fuel, and expensive pipelines, is like stagecoach companies predicting disaster while watching the coming of the railroad. It’s fear-mongering by businesses desperate to sell more of a soon-to-be outmoded product. Progress is bad for them, but good for everyone else.
As far as New England’s clean energy future goes, the train has already left the station. And its rapid acceleration has already made additional fossil fuels unnecessary and will eventually render them obsolete. Predictions of economic doom are wildly overstated: clean energy technology and jobs have played an important role in our unparalleled economic growth and will continue to do so.
This summer, Massachusetts and Connecticut are both considering significant new restrictions on the use of ratepayer dollars to build unneeded gas pipelines. This breaking news, from an organization responsible for regional energy reliability, makes it clear that these restrictions should be enacted to keep our clean energy train on track.
Please stay tuned for additional information about how you can help as we work together to move these important initiatives forward.
Best wishes for a clean, healthy and safe environment,
Andy