By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff
With new administrations come renewed efforts to bring more
natural gas to New England. Less than a week in office, Massachusetts Gov.
Charlie Baker has mentioned natural-gas expansion several times, including
while he attended Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo’s Jan. 6 inauguration.
During a recent visit to western Massachusetts, Baker was quoted
in The Berkshire Eagle chiding state politicians for not
acting sooner to bring more natural gas to the region.
“I don't know why the commonwealth didn't expand some of its
existing pipeline capacity three or four years ago,” Baker is quoted. “In 2010,
everybody knew that there was going to be a tremendous amount of supply coming
out of Pennsylvania, New York and other places. At that point, if you had
delivery capacity, it (would) drive down the price of consumption. For whatever
reason, they didn't do it.”
Some of Baker’s recent appointments to top energy posts point to
an intention of bringing more natural gas and out-of-state electricity production
to the state. Angela O’Connor was appointed chairwoman of the state Department
of Public Utilities. She represented several fossil-fuel companies while head
of the trade organization New England Power Generators Association.
Ron Gerwatowski, a 28-year employee with National Grid, will serve
as assistant secretary for energy under Matthew Beaton, the top energy and
environmental official in Baker’s administration. Gerwatowski worked on utility
rates, energy pricing and energy policy while at the utility.
In Rhode Island, the General Assembly passed the Affordable Clean Energy Securities
Act last year. The
legislation enables National Grid to propose new electric, natural gas and
hydropower transmission initiatives, and the fees to pay for them, to the
Division of Public Utilities Commission.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello has been
meeting regularly with state energy officials and National Grid to express his
concern about a recent electric rate hike and the need to expand natural-gas
pipeline capacity, a spokesman said. He also is trying to meet with
Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo to collaborate on those efforts.
“In addition to the increase in energy costs, (Mattiello) believes
the increased consumption of natural gas and our need to expand our pipeline
capacity is critical to solving the issue,” said Larry Berman, the
speaker’s director of communications.
Gov. Gina Raimondo has yet to formally announce her energy plans.
In a statement from her office, Raimondo offered a commitment to both renewable
energy and bringing more natural gas to the state.
“Governor Raimondo recognizes that better protecting the
environment is not only the right thing to do, it is also an economic driver,”
wrote Ashley Gingerella O’Shea, Raimondo’s deputy director of communications in
an e-mail to ecoRI News.
On the subject of natural gas, O’Shea wrote, “Rhode Island and
Massachusetts are facing unsustainable double-digit electricity rate increases
and have the common need to look at ways to increase energy supply,
particularly when it comes to natural gas. Governor Raimondo looks forward to
working with others, including Governor Baker, on a strategy to keep energy
costs down.”
Meanwhile, the Rhode Island Office of the General Treasury is
putting together Raimondo’s campaign promise of a green bank. Green banks have
launched in New York and Connecticut in recent years as public-private lenders
for renewable-energy, energy-efficiency and green-infrastructure projects.
In his final week in office, Patrick approved a solar loan program for residential solar installations
and for participants in community-shared solar projects.