Going Low-Carb
New England is on the verge of breaking our addiction to climate-polluting coal and oil. But another dirty fossil fuel – natural gas – is now vying for dominance of New England’s energy mix. What New Englanders need today are low- and no-carbon energy sources, not another dirty fossil fuel.
CLF in Action
CLF is working to protect communities across New England from footing the bill for unnecessary new pipelines and dirty power plants. These massive investments in natural gas would lock us into an unhealthy reliance on polluting fossil fuels for generations to come – long past the time when science says we need to quit dirty energy for good.
In Massachusetts, CLF took its case against the gas industry – and state regulatory agencies – to the Supreme Judicial Court, which agreed that the industry’s financing scheme for new pipelines was illegal. This decision, soon echoed in other New England states, helps to weaken the business case for new pipelines. CLF also played a key role in preventing the Kinder Morgan and Access Northeast natural gas pipelines from tearing through New England communities, helping save electricity customers an estimated $6 billion. These victories send an important signal to the gas industry, but our work is not done.
At the same time, CLF is working to ensure that proposed new natural gas power plants don’t sink New England’s efforts to slash climate-damaging emissions regionwide. We’re fighting proposed plants in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut to ensure we can keep the lights on without dimming our climate future.
What’s at Stake
The investments we make in energy infrastructure today will chart the course for New England’s climate future for decades to come. Natural gas pipelines built today will be in place for the next 50–100 years. Investments in new natural gas infrastructure not only contribute to climate pollution, they also stand in the way of the clean energy investments New England needs to meet our climate goals and help keep our communities healthy and thriving.
The gas industry has argued that New England needs new natural gas pipelines in order to keep our lights on and our homes heated. But this is simply not true. Reports by CLF shows that new pipelines are nowhere near the cheapest or quickest way to deliver more natural gas into New England today. At a time when New England is already moving beyond its reliance on dirty outdated fuels such as coal and oil, major costly investments in new fossil fuel infrastructure are the wrong direction to take for our economy and our climate.
