In our last blog post, we talked about major developments in the fight for a clean energy future in Massachusetts and across the Northeast: important new legislation; a continuing fall in the price of renewable energy (now clearly a better investment for ratepayers than fossil gas) and an accelerating retreat by big investors from fossil fuel stocks.
But fossil fuel companies operating in our state and region aren’t going to give up without a fight. They know the window on the use of fossil gas is starting to close – the real-time effects of the global climate crisis have become impossible to ignore or wish away – so their strategy is a simple one: use their advantages in the current regulatory system to build as much new infrastructure as possible; sell as much gas as possible; and to make as much money as possible until regulators, ratepayers and an outraged public finally make them stop.
On the other side – our side – the race is on to get new regulations in place that require utilities to prove that their proposed gas projects are truly in the best interest of consumers and abutters. The race is also on to set statutory greenhouse gas emissions limits – not just for the distant future but in five-year increments, so the public can know whether we’re making real progress. And, while that race is under way, communities facing costly gas expansion projects need to do everything they can to slow those projects down, so that the regulatory guidelines and rules for issuing permits can catch up and stop them before ratepayers get stuck with stranded assets that deliver nothing but costlier bills.
The way forward is clear: support legislation that stops gas expansion, promotes grid-scale renewables and puts leak repair ahead of new pipelines. And while the Massachusetts Senate bills don’t do all those things, they’re a significant and worthwhile start.
The House will be taking up the Senate package over the next two months, but there’s no time to lose. There’s something you can do right now to help win the race against fossil gas. Please take a moment to thank Senate President Karen Spilka and two of her key committee chairs, Senators Michael Barrett and Michael Rodrigues, for their continuing leadership in climate and energy legislation. We need to show the legislators advancing critical climate legislation that we appreciate their efforts.