Energy News for week ending November 17, 2017

Class Action | Presidential Permit | 20M dollars for Western MA

Happy Friday afternoon folks.

There are a ton of stories this week, but here are three that stood out for us.

Vermont Business Magazine reports that on Thursday afternoon Eversource Energy and Avangrid Inc were hit with a class-action lawsuit stating that the two energy companies caused electricity consumers in New England to incur overcharges of $3.6 billion in a years-long scheme that impacted six states and affected 14.7 million people. The lawsuit was filed November 14, 2017, in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The complaint alleges the scheme violates multiple federal and state competition laws and state consumer protection statutes.

Good news this week came for Northern Pass in the form of receiving its Presidential Permit from the US Dept. of Energy. The Telegram reported that the permit allows for the $1.6 billion project to take hydropower across an international border and connect to the United States grid. There is still a ways to go before it’s done though. The article reports that the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee, or SEC, is expected to announce its final written decision on the project by March 31, 2018. And, along with the state approval, the project also is awaiting a permit from the U.S. Forest Service allowing the project to pass through parts of the White Mountain National Forest and a wetlands permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is expected by the end of the year.

Speaking of transmission projects, over at MassLive.com, Mary Serreze reports that TDI New England has pledged 20 years of funding, at $1 million annually, to Community Action of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions for deep energy retrofits to low-income homes, if its New England Clean Power Link wins a major utility contract in the Bay State. TDI plans 98 miles of underwater and 56 miles of underground cable to deliver 1,000 megawatts of hydro, or hydro and wind, from Canada. Christmas comes a month late for bidders. Serreze notes that the winners will be announced Jan. 25 by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and electric utilities Eversource, National Grid and Unitil.

That wraps it up for this week. As always, you can find more news and events at NEEnergyNews.com.

Oh, and we’re taking next Friday off so we’ll be back in your in boxes on December 1. In the meantime, you can find energy stories Tweeted at @McMComm

Have a wonderful, safe, warm and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Natural Gas/Pipeline

Lawsuit accuses Eversource and Avangrid of causing $3.6 billion in excessive electricity costs in New England, Vermont Biz

Report raises doubts about gas ‘crisis, CommonWealth Magazine

Gas to power majority of New England by 2020, Argus

Natural gas has no climate benefit and may make things worse, Think Progress

Environmentalists Stage Sit-In At Governor’s Office Over Natural Gas Infrastructure, WGBH

Conservationists: Fossil fuel search would target migratory path of right whales, Cape Cod Times

Sandisfield highway chief: ‘Road is shot from pipeline work,’ Berkshire Eagle

Lynch bill could halt Weymouth compressor construction, Wicked Local Braintree

Water protector Winona LaDuke speaks on ‘cannibal economics,’ courage and fighting pipelines, theberkshireedge.com

RI agency opens hearing on LNG plan for Providence waterfront, The Providence Journal