One of Governor LePage’s first official acts was to erect a sign on the New Hampshire border of the Maine Turnpike proclaiming that Maine is “OPEN FOR BUSINESS.” Unfortunately, LePage has not lived up to that promise. His most recent veto of legislation designed to undo damage to the solar industry in Maine while enhancing… Continue reading Maine’s Legislature Fails to Move State Forward on Solar
“Legislators loyal to the LePage ideology failed us by allowing the Governor and the PUC to unnecessarily raise electricity costs for all Mainers, while depriving us of the right to fairly produce and consume our own solar power,” said CLF attorney Emily Green. “Solar power is good for Maine, and leaders who block its progress are doing so at the expense of individuals, families, and local businesses. Fortunately, the legislature’s failure today is not the last word on the PUC’s regressive, harmful rule, because we have taken this fight to the state’s highest court and anticipate a decision soon.”
Northern Pass received two major blows in March, knocking it fully out of contention as the energy winner in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth, which initially selected the proposed transmission line for a lucrative clean energy contract in January, severed ties and announced on March 28 that it is moving on to a different project. Just two… Continue reading New England Closes the Door on Northern Pass
When President Trump announced that he was pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement last summer, leaders across the country stood up and stepped in where the president had stepped out. Among those promising action was Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo. Although Rhode Island already had goals for cutting carbon emissions, Raimondo… Continue reading Rhode Island Bill Mandates Cuts in Carbon Pollution
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its plans to reverse the nation’s landmark clean car standards. The impacts of weakening the standards will be widespread and severe, and will include raising costs for American families and businesses on gas, while dirtying the air that we breathe and harming the health of our families and… Continue reading EPA’s Roll Back of Clean Car Standards Will Cost Americans
“Strong solar policy helps create jobs, protects our environment, and lowers energy bills. By vetoing the solar bill, the Governor is taking money out of the wallets of hardworking Mainers and threatening our energy independence,” said Emily Green, CLF Staff Attorney. “Our legislators must stand by the people they serve, and shut down the Governor’s irrational attempt to sabotage Maine’s clean energy future.”
“Taking Northern Pass off the table is the right call for Massachusetts and New Hampshire,” said Greg Cunningham, VP and Director of CLF’s Clean Energy and Climate Change program. “Having been rejected now by two states, the writing is on the wall for Northern Pass – Eversource should pull its plug once and for all.”
Northern Pass is now on life support. The latest decision in New Hampshire further signals the end of this ill-conceived project – a high-voltage transmission line that would cut through the White Mountain National Forest and bisect New Hampshire from north to south. Northern Pass tried to rush New Hampshire through permitting, but the Granite… Continue reading Northern Pass Denied Lifeline by New Hampshire Decision Makers
… “In New England, like California, we are past the point where more gas can help us,” said David Ismay, a senior attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation, which is fighting new gas plants in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Massachusetts, the region’s most populous state, wants 40% of its power from clean- energy resources by… Continue reading Natural Gas Under Assault in Some States After Brief Reign at the Top
“The least expensive energy is the energy you don’t use,” said CLF Attorney Amy Laura Cahn. “We have programs that could save everyone in our state money, but utilities aren’t making enough of an effort to reach middle-income families and renters and are not tracking their own progress in serving these groups. These are serious problems. But we have the chance to change course — it’s time for Massachusetts to stop resting on its laurels and move forward with energy efficiency.”
