This past winter, the New England region experienced significant price spikes in natural gas and, correspondingly, electricity, as a result of natural gas delivery constraints. The effect on consumers was minimal since most have locked in fixed price contracts for both commodities. There was, however, a significant threat to reliability on the electricity grid. As […]
Environmental and energy policies have emerged in the upcoming Massachusetts special election for the seat vacated by former Senator John Kerry, now U.S. Secretary of State. The focus has been on the construction of the proposed XL Pipeline, a pipeline proposed by TransCanada to move oil sands crude from Canada through the middle of the […]
For many years, energy efficiency companies and consumer advocates have argued that the forecasts by ISO New England of energy growth were overstated because they did not fully reflect the impact of efficiency programs implemented by the New England states. Now, a major breakthrough has occurred. The most recent ISO long term forecast of growth […]
About a year ago, we reported on an arcane but no less important problem of the inadequate supply of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) for Class II resources. To its credit, the state has moved to address this – through legislation, research and, recently, a new proposal that bears examination. Class II resources are the renewable […]
The New England energy community recently had the opportunity to hear from the newest member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Tony Clark. Appointed in June from his position on the North Dakota public utilities commission, Clark said that he had held off doing any public speaking until he had had a chance to […]
It’s been more than a year since Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, several other consumer advocates and groups across the region, including PowerOptions, filed a complaint at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging it to lower the fixed rate of return on equity (ROE) earned by the transmission owners (TOs) in New England. (The […]
