These days, the scariest monster I can conjure wears a tailored suit and sits behind the desk of a dirty oil or gas company deliberately blocking climate action. Runner up is another man in a suit – a legislator too scared to stand up to that fossil fuel executive and protect the people who voted him into office.
While superficially a snooze fest, energy efficiency is a powerful tool in the fight against climate change and towards a more equitable future. (It can also save you money, clean up our air, and even improve your health.)
New England is extremely vulnerable to climate change. It’s a crisis not only for the environment, but also for the health of our communities. It will take systemic change in the way we do business, the way we govern, and the way we guide people to solve climate change and move into the next century.
“Renewable natural gas” is not a large-scale climate solution. It’s a shameless attempt by the fossil fuel industry to convince New Englanders to pay for more polluting pipelines.
A Renewable Energy Certificate is a way to measure and track the production of clean energy. It’s how states and utilities track how much clean energy is being produced by renewable energy sources and which electrical utilities are buying that power.
A Renewable Portfolio Standard is a way for states to ensure their electric utilities – and by extension, the states themselves – are making progress on clean energy. The best policies heavily emphasize clean renewables like wind and solar.
In times of change and upheaval, there is also room for hope and inspiration. While we collectively have much hard work ahead of us, we also have much to commend. Our hope is that this report offers insight into the work that your support makes possible – and inspiration for what we know we can accomplish together.
“This decision is a huge win for solar power in New England,” said Phelps Turner, CLF Senior Attorney. “The petition never should have been filed, and FERC absolutely made the right call in dismissing it. Net metering saves people money and helps slash carbon emissions, and it should not be used as a political pawn.”
A recent report on transforming Rhode Island’s heating sector offers options to reach our climate goals while ensuring we stay warm during the winter. One of the first studies of its kind, the report is a valuable resource for policymakers and can help the state transition to a clean energy future.
“Almost two years later, Merrimack Valley residents and businesses are still recovering from the gas explosions. It is only appropriate that Columbia Gas cease operations in the state,” said Amy Laura Cahn, Director of CLF’s Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program. “With over a billion dollars changing hands in the sale of Columbia Gas to Eversource, a significant portion of those resources should go to providing energy savings to residents and making the communities who suffered most safer and more resilient.”
