Burning Coal, Burning Cash

In 2008, Massachusetts imported all the coal used by its power plants, primarily from Colombia, resulting in $252 million leaving the state economy. The state relies on coal for 24.5% of its in-state electricity generation despite having no domestic coal supplies. To reduce this dependence, Massachusetts has implemented aggressive energy efficiency targets, including a $1.7 billion investment from 2010 to 2012, and is expanding renewable energy through programs like Commonwealth Solar and the first US offshore wind facility in Nantucket Sound.

• In 2008, Massachusetts imported all of the coal used by its power plants, primarily from Colombia, which resulted in $252 million being sent out of the state. Of this, $206 million was spent on international imports, ranking Massachusetts 3rd highest among US states for international coal import spending.
• Dominion Energy New England purchased all of the state's imported coal, with its Brayton Point plant in Somerset spending $214 million on imports, the highest amount of any coal plant in Massachusetts.
• Coal accounted for 24.5% of Massachusetts' in-state electricity generation in 2008. Additionally, retail electricity sales exceeded in-state production by 24%, indicating the state imports further electricity that may be coal-derived.
• Massachusetts is pursuing energy efficiency to replace coal-fired power, spending $120 million on ratepayer-funded programs in 2007 and committing over $1.7 billion to electricity efficiency between 2010 and 2012. Starting in 2012, utilities must reduce electricity use by 2.4% annually.
• The state is expanding renewable energy through the Commonwealth Solar program, which funded 23.5 megawatts of solar power across 1,200+ buildings, and the development of an offshore wind facility in Nantucket Sound. Massachusetts has a mandate for renewable resources to provide over 23% of its power by 2025 and possesses the technical potential to meet 90% of its 2008 electricity needs via in-state renewables.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2010). Burning Coal, Burning Cash. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Massachusetts.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Burning Coal, Burning Cash. 2010. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Massachusetts.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Burning Coal, Burning Cash |date=May 2010 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Massachusetts.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2010burning, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Burning Coal, Burning Cash}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Massachusetts.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }