News
The Herald News: Gov. Gina Raimondo: Forget Mass., R.I.'s real competition is south states (8/7/15)
"As the governor of the smallest state in New England, Rhode Island's Gina Raimondo on Thursday said she doesn't see her state in competition with her coastal cousin to the north for jobs and businesses."
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The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University: Professor Barbara Kates-Garnick In Profile
"Shock was one way to describe the reaction Massachusetts energy consumers had in February 2015 when they opened their electric bills: a rate increase of more than 30 percent in most cases."
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Maine Public Broadcasting: Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan Wins Praise in Maine (8/3/15)
"For the first time ever, power plants must limit carbon emissions under a Clean Power Plan released today by the Obama administration. The plan sets a target of reducing carbon emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030."
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Video: Natural Gas is the Foundation for Renewables
WBZ Radio: Nightside with Dan Rea (7/20/15)
Coalition to Lower Energy Costs' General Counsel and Spokesperson, Tony Buxton, debated natural gas pipeline expansion on the Nightside with Dan Rea show.
Click here to listen to the radio recording.
Foxborough Patch: Mass. is Nearly the Priciest State for Energy Costs (7/14/15)
"Since July is the time when most Americans relocate to start a new career, and also the time when energy consumption is high, WalletHub chose the month to conduct its in-depth look at 2015’s Most and Least Energy-Expensive States. Coming in “ahead” only of Connecticut and Wyoming, Massachusetts ranked at number 49 on the list, which ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia on costs of energy."
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Press Release: Coalition Criticizes AG Proposal to Delay DPU Gas Proceedings (7/7/15)
"A Massachusetts-based energy consumer group today said that Attorney General Maura Healey is “not helping Massachusetts energy consumers” by seeking to delay state regulatory proceedings while another study is done of the need for more gas pipeline capacity in New England. The Coalition to Lower Energy Costs responded today to the announcement of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s planned study of natural gas pipeline capacity in the region."
Click here to read CLEC's press release.
Providence Journal: Editorial: We need energy (7/2/15)
"The experts continue to warn: New England faces a severe energy crunch, with skyrocketing prices in the winter, for the next several years. That is why the region must continue to work to expand its pipeline capacity."
Click here to read the rest of the editorial.
Press Release: BHI study: Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline would strongly benefit Massachusetts, reducing energy costs while driving employment and investment growth (6/24/15)
"Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s (TGP) proposed Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline (NED) would bring both significant short-term and long-term benefits to Massachusetts according to an economic analysis based on two models by the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University. TGP is a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, Inc., which funded the Institute’s study."
Click here to read the Beacon Hill Institute press release and study.
Lowell Sun: Institute sees economic benefit to Kinder Morgan pipeline (6/24/15)
"Analyzing a controversial pipeline that would bring Pennsylvanian natural gas into New Hampshire and Massachusetts, the Beacon Hill Institute found it would bring substantial benefits in construction jobs and lower energy costs to Massachusetts."
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The Recorder: Workers say support of pipeline not just about jobs now, but future development (and more jobs later) (6/22/15)
"For unionized construction workers around western Massachusetts, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.’s planned Northeast Energy Direct project could represent paydirt, and then some, say two representatives for the Holyoke-based union local representing laborers.Even though the estimated 3,000 jobs on the project would only be about 18 months, the pipeline could lead to other gas-based industrial development that in turn would create other jobs, according to a local labor leader."
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WSAR: Voice of Business (6/17/15)
Coalition to Lower Energy Costs' Senior Energy Policy Advisor, Barbara Kates-Garnick, discusses energy policy and the need for more natural gas capacity with Rob Mellion, President of the Fall River Chamber of Commerce.
Click here to listen to the radio interview.
ECT.coop: Electric Bills to Rise This Summer (6/16/15)
"The good ol’ summertime is going to be a little warmer and a little more expensive, the federal government says. The Energy Information Administration said June 9 that it foresees a rise of about 4.8 percent in the typical residential monthly electric bill during summer 2015."
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iBerkshires.com: Congressmen Kennedy, Neal: Electric Rates Threaten Berkshire Economy (6/8/15)
"Rising electric rates could threaten the local economy and federal and state lawmakers are seeking a long-term strategy to reel those costs in."
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Press Release: Coalition Lays Out Roadmap to Reduced New Hampshire Electric Rates (6/2/15)
"Today the Coalition to Lower Energy Costs laid out a plan for the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission to take action to lower the state’s high energy costs and save billions of dollars for electric consumers. In a filing submitted in response to an investigation into New Hampshire’s high winter electricity costs, the consumer advocacy group identified natural gas shortages, due to pipeline constraints, as the driver of high electric costs and called for the PUC to support the construction of more than 2 billion cubic feet per day of new natural gas pipeline capacity into the New England region on two new pipelines."
Click here to read CLEC's press release.
Press Release: Barbara Kates-Garnick, Senior Energy Policy Advisor for the Coalition to Lower Energy Costs will address the Springfield Rotary Club June 12th (6/1/15)
"Barbara Kates-Garnick, Senior Energy Policy Advisor for the Coalition to Lower Energy Costs will address the Springfield Rotary Club's luncheon meeting on Friday, June 12th. Her topic will be “How to achieve lower electricity costs”."
Click here to read Springfield Rotary Club's press release.
Telegram & Gazette: As I See It: Meeting our energy needs (5/26/15)
"The May 10, 2015 editorial “Power Surge” provided an excellent expose on how certain industries, like manufacturing, are seeing their futures threatened by the cost of energy in Massachusetts."
Click here to read the rest of op-ed.
Boston Herald: Gas pipeline part of DPU plan to lower energy prices (5/26/15)
"The state’s Department of Public Utilities is laying the groundwork to develop a new natural gas pipeline in Massachusetts, a move that officials say will help curb high energy prices."
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Taunton Daily Gazette: Guest Opinion: Addressing the high cost of energy in Massachusetts (5/20/15)
"A major issue impacting businesses in Massachusetts is the high cost of energy. Cheap energy is available throughout much of the United States. It is not the case in Massachusetts. To the contrary, electricity and natural gas prices in Massachusetts are the highest in the continental United States."
Click here to read the rest of the op-ed.
Boston Globe: National Grid sees only a limited role for LNG (5/20/15)
"In “Distrigas says its deals should prevent shortages” (Business, May 11), Distrigas implies that its new contract with National Grid indicates that we are increasingly relying on imported liquefied natural gas to serve our customers. That’s not true. For decades we’ve contracted with Distrigas for LNG to refill our storage tanks to replace what we delivered the previous winter. The new contract is for the same purpose but for a longer term. Distrigas’s LNG comes from far-off foreign countries. Pricing and availability depend on global energy markets and politics. We signed another contract because there’s a limited role for imported LNG to offset price spikes on the coldest winter days."
Click here to read the rest of the letter to the editor.
BusinessWest: Pipeline Proposal Makes Economic Sense (5/19/15)
"When asked to study how a shortage of natural-gas capacity in Massachusetts will affect future power needs, Synapse Energy Economics didn’t mince words."
Click here to read the rest of the editorial.
BusinessWest: Natural-gas Issues Could Hinder Economic Development (5/19/15)
"Rick Sullivan acknowledged the obvious: No one likes paying more for heating their home. “It’s a very real pocketbook issue. The average resident saw what happened to their electric bill this winter; it went up drastically because of the availability and price of natural gas,” said Sullivan, president of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC). “Right now, natural gas is setting the price for power in this region.” "
Click here to read the rest of the article.
The Hill: Time to upgrade U.S. energy infrastructure (5/14/15)
"It’s no secret that America’s infrastructure is in need of a tune-up. While this debate understandably focuses on traditional projects from roads to bridges to ports, we must acknowledge the same sense of urgency and purpose for expanding pipelines to ensure communities across the country can take full advantage of the U.S. shale revolution."
Click here to read the rest of the op-ed.
Telegram & Gazette: Power surge (5/10/15)
"Paid a utility bill recently? Some local industries are being squeezed on energy costs despite what you may be hearing about new sources of domestic oil and natural gas, government incentives toward renewable energy, and efforts to support conservation. While energy costs to industries may be down across the country, they’re up significantly for at least some industries in New England. And it threatens to kill opportunity."
Click here to read the rest of the editorial.
New Hampshire Union Leader: More energy needed to power NH (5/9/15)
"Most New Hampshire citizens are aware of a troubling fact regarding energy costs: they are going up. The reason for this is a classic case of supply and demand. Our region's ability to produce reliable, affordable power is diminishing, and efforts to replace it are not keeping up with the need."
Click here to read the rest of the op-ed.
CommonWealth Magazine: Mass. once again playing catchup on energy (5/5/15)
"Right now, it seems like Massachusetts remains on the slow boat to natural gas pipeline expansion, which is impacting prices for customers and reliability for power generators. The region needs an expedient solution to avoid an energy crisis which may only have been tempered by the recent drop in oil prices that made LNG more affordable (even though New England paid the highest prices in the world for LNG this past winter). Must we wait for real action to be taken until we are in the midst of even more severe price spikes and scrambling to maintain grid reliability?"
Click here to read the rest of the op-ed.
The Recorder: Gas pipeline promoted for economic development potential (5/1/15)
"A Houston energy company executive told a Connecticut business group that a regional natural gas pipeline would keep businesses from moving to states where energy is cheaper."