Energy News for week ending December 14, 2018

410 Million | Roasted by the sun | Substantial Completion | Lobstocracy

Happy Friday everyone.

Here are a few highlights from this week.

From Reuters, U.S. offshore wind lease auction ends with record $410 mln sale, “A U.S. government auction for three wind leases off the coast of Massachusetts ended on Friday with record-setting combined bids of $410 million, the agency that conducted the sale said. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said it would announce the provisional winners of the leases on a conference call later on Friday. Combined, the three leases represent nearly 390,000 acres near the Massachusetts islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket and Rhode Island’s Block Island. It was not immediately clear whether a single company claimed all three or if there were more than one winner.”

While we’re in the midst of holiday season, according to a story in the Portland Press Herald, this is what happened on Thanksgiving, Solar power achieved a New England milestone on chilly Thanksgiving “On last month’s historically cold Thanksgiving Day, New England turkeys were being roasted by the sun. For the first time, according to the region’s electric grid operator, thousands of solar panels offset the midmorning peak demand for power from millions of homes and businesses cooking the holiday birds. The renewable energy milestone was noted this week by ISO-New England. It highlights the growing role of solar energy on the grid and counters lingering myths about the technology not working in cold climates.”

This is great news out of Lawrence. From the Eagle Tribune, Governor, Columbia Gas announce ‘substantial completion’ of gas restoration; say service back to 98 percent of customers, “The work to restore service to more than 10,000 homes affected by the gas disaster is pretty much done, but the mission is not accomplished, state and local officials said at a press conference early Wednesday afternoon. With natural gas service restored to 98 percent of residential and business customers, Gov. Baker, local municipal leaders and Columbia Gas announced the substantial completion of the gas restoration efforts in the Merrimack Valley…Officials said 150 customers are still without gas service, most of whom decided to “self-mitigate,” or complete necessary assessments and installations themselves on their own timeline, independent of Columbia Gas contractors, or have extenuating circumstances such as damages to their homes.

We end this week on some it’s good now but not later climate change news. From MSN.com, ‘We live in a lobstocracy’: Maine town is feeling the effects of climate change, “The American lobster is a symbol of Maine, central to the state’s ethos and economy…Lobster attracts tourists, feeds locals and is a lifeblood for coastal towns. It’s (sic) importance has even swelled in recent years as lobsters have been caught in record numbers. Lobster landings – or the amount of lobster caught – have risen fivefold in the past three decades. Lobster has become a half-billion-dollar industry in Maine. And the reason for the boom, according to scientists, is climate change. The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the world’s waters, rising at three times the global average. That warming has created optimal conditions for lobsters to reproduce and survive into adulthood…But while the warming waters have resulted in a lobster bonanza, scientists say climate change will ultimately bring a bust to the boom: As the Gulf of Maine continues to warm, that temperature sweet spot for lobsters will continue to move north. That could result in a similar spike in lobsters in Canada, but leave Maine’s industry broken.

That’s it for this week. Enjoy the news below and have a wonderful weekend.

Natural Gas/Oil/Pipeline/Drilling

Massachusetts natural gas companies would support greater engineering oversight, MassLIve

Agawam farm family protests Tennessee Gas Pipeline land-taking, MassLive

Lawmaker questions gas safety consultant’s ties to industry, Boston Business Journal (subscriber content)

Columbia Gas appoints new executive in Massachusetts, Boston Globe

Agawam farm family protests Tennessee Gas Pipeline land-taking, MassLive

Mass. Town Asks 1st Circ. To Block Enbridge Pipeline Project, Law360

Judge halts Keystone XL pipeline, citing ‘complete disregard’ for climate, MSN

The Oil Industry’s Covert Campaign to Rewrite American Car Emissions Rules, New York Times

Merrimack Valley

Governor, Columbia Gas announce ‘substantial completion’ of gas restoration; say service back to 98 percent of customers, Eagle Tribune