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Answer: It can’t. At least not without some serious changes.
A new climate bill in development on Beacon Hill will take aim at that problem by proposing multiple solutions to speed the pace of infrastructure decisions, and ensure that new construction doesn’t overly burden local communities.
That part of the climate bill appears to have the blessing of Governor Maura Healey’s office as well as both chambers of the legislature. But the remainder of the climate bill? That’s still taking shape.
A new Senate bill, released this week, is setting the stage for a sweeping measure that will build upon major reforms brought by climate bills in the past two legislative sessions. Those bills reshaped the way Massachusetts is addressing the climate crisis, from setting an ambitious goal to effectively zero-out greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century to laying the groundwork for an offshore wind bonanza.
In addition to speeding up the process for approving new electric infrastructure, the new bill being proposed by the Senate would rein in the expansion of natural gas; call for the installation of more chargers for electric vehicles; and ban the ability of third parties to sell electricity to residents. An amendment is expected to call for the expansion of the bottle bill, too.
State Senator Michael Barrett, who helped write the last two laws and is taking the lead in the Senate on this one, said the latest bill will be voted on later this week. But the aim is clear: “Here in Massachusetts, we have a number of medium-sized and small-sized discrete problems that we need to address,” Barrett said. “We have an opportunity to address them now.”
In other words: There is no silver bullet to address climate change. This is an attempt at a silver buckshot.
The changes related to energy infrastructure would be based on recommendations released earlier this year by a state commission. They include a requirement that all permits be issued within 15 months — a major change, considering there is no deadline currently and the review process can take up to four years. The changes would also ensure that developers “meaningfully engage” with potentially affected residents — people living near proposed power stations, for example — even before applying for a permit.
“We are in a critical moment for climate action, and legislation is necessary to move us forward,” said Maria Hardiman, director of communications for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. “In particular, siting and permitting reform is needed to meet our climate goals and ensure communities have meaningful input on clean energy projects.”
These changes may sound mundane, but when it comes to the clean-energy transition, they are anything but. Advocates say these changes are needed to see more EV chargers at key places, like airports, rest stops, and residential areas. Quicker permitting would also allow for more housing to be built that is powered electricity and not fossil fuels, and to clear up bottlenecks in the way of building more renewable energy.
“This is a really good starting point,” said Casey Bowers, executive director of the Action Fund at the Environmental League of Massachusetts. But she and her organization wanted to see more, including greater flexibility and innovation to how offshore wind is procured and a plan to stop new investments in gas infrastructure.
The state has been reckoning for years with how to address the expansion of natural gas. But the laws on the books still provide for a financial incentive for utilities to expand their coverage areas and to replace — rather than repair — leaky pipes.
This has led to a contradictory set of laws. On one hand, the state must slash emissions rapidly; on the other, it incentivizes the expansion of fossil fuels. What’s more, the costs of that expansion are passed on to ratepayers, meaning they are paying for infrastructure that may not be used in the coming decades as the state shifts off of fossil fuels.
The Senate bill aims to tweak existing regulations, so that going forward, the state Department of Public Utilities would have to evaluate whether requests for gas expansion are compatible with the state’s emissions reductions targets.
Likewise, when it comes to replacing leaky pipes, the DPU would have to consider other options — like repairing the pipeline or decommissioning — “with an eye toward realizing our climate goals and saving people money,” Barrett said.
It’s not clear where the House stands on this, or on other measures, including the hotly debated issue of essentially banning third-party electric suppliers from selling directly to consumers, often at rates that start low then climb well beyond standard utility bills
There does seem to be consensus from the two chambers on the urgent need for more EV chargers across Massachusetts to support a goal of having 300,000 electric cars registered in the state by next year. Right now there are only around 64,000.
All of the details remain far from settled — the Senate bill will have to be passed in that chamber, then reconciled with the bill released by the House.
Sabrina Shankman can be reached at sabrina.shankman@globe.com. Follow her @shankman.
Just as the summer travel season heats up, gas prices are finally dropping, with the national average falling below $4 a gallon.
It marks the first time since March 30 prices are that low, and follows nearly four straight weeks of declines, according to data from AAA.
Massachusetts and the northeast as a whole are still above that average, at $4.09 a gallon, but it’s down sharply just in the past week.
Prices are lower south of Boston, such as in Bristol and Plymouth counties, and some wholesale clubs are selling at $3.60 a gallon.
Mark Schieldrop, spokesperson for AAA Northeast, says the highest price paid at the pump in Massachusetts during the war was $4.50 a gallon.
Schieldrop said the decrease comes on the heels of the U.S. agreement with Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, causing crude oil prices to fall.
“We’ve seen a nice steady decline in prices that really started more than three weeks ago,” he said, “Markets anticipated this happening, and that really led to prices beginning to fall.”
Since prices can vary, he recommends drivers shop around and avoid convenient locations.
“You are going to see those higher gas prices right off that highway exit at that first gas station that you see, because they know that they’re going to catch a lot of stray travelers,” he said.
Decreasing gas prices comes as millions of Americans prepare to travel for July 4 in record numbers starting next weekend.
“When prices are on a downward trajectory, that certainly is conducive to encouraging folks to travel,” Schieldrop said. “We do expect strong travel over the July Fourth holiday. And people are still very interested in travel.”
While gas station owners are sometimes accused of price gouging, Schieldrop said most are trying to navigate a volatile market themselves, and are looking to stay competitive when prices drop and they have a surplus.
“They have to be very careful about sort of using a price buffer to ride that volatility so that way you’re able to make money, but you’re not gouging customers, and you’re being competitive in a market because the retail gasoline market is very competitive, ”he said.
Prices a year ago were $3.05 a gallon, but he said we won’t be getting anywhere near those prices this summer.
Local News
The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles announced on Monday it is now taking applications for the 2026 Annual Low Number Plate Lottery.
The annual lottery is for standard white Massachusetts passenger license plates. Winners and alternate winners will be selected using an electronic random number generator and notified by mail no later than Sept. 15.
To be eligible, an applicant must be a current Massachusetts resident with an active, state registered and insured passenger motor vehicle. They must also have a state-issued driver’s license or ID in good standing.
You can apply through Aug. 14 at the myRMV Online Service Center.
While there’s no cost to enter, “applicants selected in the lottery will be required to pay the special plate fee in addition to the applicable standard vehicle registration fee,” the RMV said.
Commercial vehicles and motorcycles will not be accepted as applicants. MassDOT workers and contract employees and their immediate family members are ineligible to participate, the RMV said.
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HINSDALE, N.H. (ABC22/FOX44) – Two men from Massachusetts have been indicted after they allegedly stole more than $200,000 in cigarettes and fled in a stolen U-Haul van before setting it on fire.
According to court documents, the men robbed the T-Bird Mini Mart on Brattleboro Road in Hinsdale, New Hampshire back on March 15. They then allegedly drove the U-Haul north into Brattleboro, Vermont before heading south on Interstate 91 down in Massachusetts.
Cartons of cigarettes reportedly fell from the back of the van as it drove through Brattleboro, which were estimated to be worth more than $50,000. The “trail of cigarettes” was reportedly used by investigators examining surveillance footage to track the path of the van leading up to the arrest of two suspects last week.
Richard Conner, 64, of Greenfield, Massachusetts, and James Ferguson, 66, of Worcester, Massachusetts, were arrested on Friday.
According to court documents, Ferguson was also seen on camera earlier in March stealing the U-Haul van in Northampton, Massachusetts.
The two men now face federal charges under the Hobbs Act and, if convicted, could spend up to 20 years in prison.
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