No choice | 6.2 million | 20 year extension
Happy Friday folks. It’s been a busy week here so we’re keeping this short.
Here are three stories we found interesting this week:
Gov. Baker says he had “no choice” on compressor station permit, Herald News. “Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday he ‘basically had no choice’ but to approve air quality permits for a natural-gas compressor station in Weymouth given federal rules governing the project and results of a state-authorized review. The Baker administration on Friday approved the permits for the Enbridge Energy project, a move that was quickly and fiercely condemned by South Shore lawmakers who, with local municipal officials, had urged Baker to deny the permits because of potential health and safety risks.”
Vineyard Wind offers $6.2M to compensate R.I. fishermen, Providence Journal. “Vineyard Wind is offering to pay Rhode Island fishermen $6.2 million in compensation for lost access to fishing grounds as part of a mitigation plan for its proposed offshore wind farm that also includes the creation of a $23-million fund to research new gear and technology to support safe fishing in and around wind turbines. As expected, the offer to the state’s fishermen who catch squid, lobster and Jonah crab in the project waters south of Martha’s Vineyard falls short of what they wanted.”
Seabrook nuclear plant set to receive 20-year extension, Seacoastonline.com. “The NextEra Energy Seabrook Station nuclear power plant is expected to receive its long-sought 20-year license extension from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by month’s end. NRC notification comes after important recommendations and positive reviews over the past four weeks on both the plant’s application to extend its operating license to 2050, as well as its request to amend that license to accommodate how it will address its unique concrete problem of alkali-silica reaction as the plant ages. The notice comes 8½ years after NextEra began its bid for a license extension.”
Have a great weekend and stay safe and warm during the upcoming storm. And oh yeah, “Go Pats!”
Natural Gas/Oil/Pipeline/Drilling
Climate action relied on natural gas. Then CO2 spiked, E&E News
Vermont Gas Must Show Why It Should Continue Operating New Pipeline, VPR
Power plant would need 16k gallons of water a day, Johnston Sun Rise
Energy Developer Defends Proposal for $1 Billion Power Plant, U.S. News & World Report
Protesters arrested in New Milford for blocking power plant transport, News-Times
Legislators, groups concerned about pipeline project planned for Agawam, The Recorder
Weymouth
Protesting the pipeline: In Weymouth, the fight continues, Wicked Local
Baker Oks permits for natural gas project, MetroWest Daily News
Federal review sought for Weymouth compressor air permit, Wicked Local Braintree
Gov. Baker says he had “no choice” on compressor station permit, Herald News
Baker: My hands were tied on compressor station, CommonWealth Magazine
Fore River residents rally against proposed compression station, Patriot Ledger
Merrimack Valley
Merrimack Valley residents are receiving ‘large backdated bills’ from Columbia Gas, Boston Globe
Judge Consolidates Lawsuits Against Columbia Gas, USA Patch
Lawmakers demand suspension of Columbia Gas rate hike, Eagle-Tribune
Renewables/Climate Change/RGGI
Permafrost Is Warming Around the Globe, Study Shows. That’s a Problem for Climate Change. Inside Climate News
Ice loss from Antarctica has sextupled since the 1970s, new research finds, Washington Post
Legislature Could Give N.H.’s Coastal Towns More Funding, Tools To Address Rising Seas, New Hampshire Public Radio
New Biomass Plant Will Increase Dartmouth’s Sustainability, news.dartmouth.edu
New York Latest State to Set 100% Renewables Goal, POWER Magazine
The best kept secret about clean energy, New Hampshire Business Review
A Regional Push to Clean Up Cars, Trucks and Mass Transit, Pew Charitable Trusts
Wolf’s greenhouse gas reduction vow is part of a bigger regional push to cut carbon emissions | Wednesday Morning Coffee, Patriot-News
New York Gov. Launches ‘Green New Deal’ With Accelerated Clean Energy Targets, Greentech Media
Wind
Vineyard Wind offers $6.2M to compensate R.I. fishermen, Providence Journal
2 turbines will not spin again in Falmouth, Cape Cod Times
Report shows how badly LePage’s wind energy panel fizzled, Bangor Daily News
URI Survey of Fishermen Finds Varied Perceptions of Impacts of Block Island Wind Farm, Energy Central
Vineyard Wind undeterred by government shutdown, Cape Cod Times
Only one wind project proposed in waters off LI, filings show, Newsday
Roxbury wind turbine project draws opposition, Sun Journal
Mass. Looks to Double Down on OSW, Clean Goals, RTO Insider
A Study in Emissionality: Why Boston University Looked Beyond New England for Its First Wind Power Purchase, Renewable Energy World
Impact on ratepayers a factor in evaluating New Jersey offshore wind bids, Daily Energy Insider
Solar
Vermont’s largest solar parking lot has officially started generating electricity, WCAX
Minnesota-Vermont project offers solar power to low-income families, Electric Light & Power
Most Enfield residents spoke in favor of solar project before siting council, Journal Inquirer
Litchfield Community Center is ‘going solar’, Register Citizen
Legislators aim to restore reason to Maine’s rooftop solar policy, PV Magazine
Solar plus batteries aim to retire natural gas plants in 2019, Quartz.com
Energy Efficiency/Storage
Eversource Recognized for Two Energy-efficiency Programs in Massachusetts, BusinessWest
‘Unlayering’ peak demand could accelerate energy storage adoption, Utility Dive
New Hampshire regulators approve utility-owned residential Tesla battery pilot, Utility Dive
EVs
Maryland scales back EV charger program nearly 80%, Utility Dive
How Should EV Owners Pay for Use of the Roads?, Greentech Media
Nuclear
Seabrook nuclear plant set to receive 20-year extension, Seacoastonline.com
Vermont Yankee sale to decommissioning firm complete, VTDigger
Entergy completes sale of Vermont Yankee to decommissioning firm, Keene Sentinel
Pilgrim Nuclear Plant’s Decommissioning Plans Presented to the Public, CapeCod.com
As the US nuclear fleet ages, one lab group hopes to give it a second wind, Ars Technica
MIT Is Pouring Resources Into Commercializing Fusion Power, Futurism.com
Trump’s nuclear revival? It’s a ‘black box’, E&E News
Appeal targets permit change for US nuclear repository, AP News
Some US nuclear industry officials question if new repository strategy needed, S&P Platts
Lawmakers push to save nuclear power, Citizen’s Voice (PA)
Markets/Grid/Policy/Prices/Etc.
Boston Harbor Blasting Project Stalled After Eversource Balks, Law360
New Hampshire Regulators Approve Seacoast Reliability Project, Construction
National Grid awards $428,000 in economic development grants, Buffalo News
Bipartisan Duo Emerges as Senate Panel Sets Course on Energy, Bloomberg Environment
Editorial/Opinion
ISO should call for offshore wind transmission discussion, CommonWealth Magazine
Another year, another chance for RGGI proposal, by Sarah Weck, Keene Sentinel
Eliminating net metering was a huge step backward, Connecticut Mirror
Maine Voices: CMP power line won’t help the environment, and certainly not Mainers, Portland Press Herald
Our View: Maine finishes last in race to keep the lights on, Portland Press Herald
Guest Opinion: Maine wind should be part of Rhode Island’s clean-energy future, Westerly Sun
In the face of climate change, Bostonians need to call a retreat, CommonWealth Magazine
Guest Opinion: Maine wind should be part of Rhode Island’s clean-energy future, Westerly Sun
Northeast Energy News 