A Good Start for Massachusetts on Clean Energy, but Lots More to Do

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports Massachusetts' proposed technology-neutral Clean Energy Standard, which includes nuclear power and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) to help achieve an 80% reduction in grid carbon emissions by 2050. However, CATF argues that the proposed power plant emissions caps are not deep enough and fail to account for the 'maximum technologically feasible reductions' required by law. Additionally, the document criticizes the state's methane reduction proposals for being too narrow, focusing only on certain leaky distribution pipelines for three years while ignoring larger transmission and storage facilities.

• Massachusetts has proposed a technology-neutral Clean Energy Standard aiming to reduce grid carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, which allows Clean Energy Credits for nuclear power, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), wind, and solar.
• The author argues that relying solely on wind and solar to meet the 80% reduction goal is impractical due to scale and availability issues, noting that solar currently provides 0.6% of the state's electricity and often operates at less than 20% of its actual capacity.
• The proposed emissions caps for power plants are criticized for not being deep enough and for failing to consider the availability of nuclear and CCS technologies, which contradicts the Global Warming Solutions Act's mandate to seek 'maximum technologically feasible reductions'.
• The state's proposal to reduce methane emissions is deemed insufficient because it only targets specific leaky distribution pipelines for a three-year period, leaving the majority of methane releases from natural gas and oil infrastructure uncontrolled.

APA

Weeks, A. (2017). A Good Start for Massachusetts on Clean Energy, but Lots More to Do. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2017/03/a-good-start-for-massachusetts-on-clean-energy-but-lots-more-to-do/

Chicago

Weeks, Ann. A Good Start for Massachusetts on Clean Energy, but Lots More to Do. Clean Air Task Force, 2017. https://www.catf.us/2017/03/a-good-start-for-massachusetts-on-clean-energy-but-lots-more-to-do/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Weeks |first1=Ann |title=A Good Start for Massachusetts on Clean Energy, but Lots More to Do |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=7 March 2017 |url=https://www.catf.us/2017/03/a-good-start-for-massachusetts-on-clean-energy-but-lots-more-to-do/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{weeks2017good, author = {Weeks, Ann}, title = {{A Good Start for Massachusetts on Clean Energy, but Lots More to Do}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://www.catf.us/2017/03/a-good-start-for-massachusetts-on-clean-energy-but-lots-more-to-do/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }