Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s stance on biomass has recently changed its tune from one of skepticism to one of acceptance as a state-wide “clean” energy policy. Why the sudden switch? State environmental groups, the same groups who helped lobby to get him into office, are wondering the same thing and are now turning against Patrick’s newfound position at large.

According to a recent article in the Boston Phoenix, the Patrick administration will release a document in the next few weeks that will contain the final regulations for the state’s biomass subsidies.  According to environmental groups, the Administration is planning to reverse its original position as a nod towards a handful of developers who stand to make money off of biomass production.

These regulations will come at the expense of ordinary… [view entry]

Image by Tara Holmes

On June 1st, three tornadoes touched down in western Massachusetts during a surprise series of storms, leaving a wake of destruction and confusion. Massachusetts, not known for tornadoes, is now beginning to rethink state policies surrounding severe weather preparation and emergency response.

ReBuild Western Massachusetts, a program developed by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and administered in partnership with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), was announced on August 4th and will distribute more than $8 million to help building owners affected by the tornadoes rebuild using energy efficiency practices and renewable energy technologies. Eligible participants include those who can document damage caused by the June 1 storms, and who own buildings in communities in Hampden and Worcester Counties, including: Agawam, Westfield,… [view entry]

Mt. Tom Station in Holyoke, MA has been a thorn in the sides of local environmentalists for many years.  Sitting on one of the most pristine mountain ranges in western Massachusetts, the coal burning power plant has, according to the Conservation Law Foundation, violated clean air standards thousands of times from 2005 to 2010, despite $55 million worth of pollution-control equipment that was installed from 2007 to 2009.

Now, however, the plant plans to comply with more stringent air-quality standards, install air-monitoring equipment, and hire an outside consultant to correct air pollution problems under a settlement announced by the state Attorney General’s Office. In addition, FirstLight Power Resources, the station’s owners, and GDF Suez North America have agreed to pay a $25,000 penalty to the state of Massachusetts and $70,000 for… [view entry]

A rock jetty on the Narragansett Bay in North Kingston, Rhode Island

They may not be the Great Lakes, but stewards of bodies of fresh and salt water in the United States are joining together to form America’s Great Waters Coalition. Recently Narragansett Bay and other southern New England waterways joined the advocacy organization, which looks to improve the water quality of its members among other goals. The organization came to be after funding for water issues across the country started to disappear amidst the financial crisis.

So far, there are 19 members across 35 different states. Organizers looked to the Great Lakes for inspiration, given that Congress set aside $475 billion for restoration and conservation of the five Great Lakes. Working as a coalition seems… [view entry]

For those of you itching to see some good, quality short films on everything from climate change, to sustainable, local farming to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for charity, then look no further — the Wild & Scenic Film Festival is in Boston March 25th and 26th!

The event, sponsored by e-inc, consists not only of the film festival itself, but a series of panels, fund-raising events and guest speakers, including Robin Young, host of WBUR’s “Here and Now”.  Panelists include: David Cash, Undersecretary of Policy, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; Howard Herzog, Senior Engineer, MIT Energy Initiative; Namrita Kapur, Director Corporate Partnership, Environmental Defense Fund; and Alexander Taft, Climate Officer, National Grid.  There will also be a locavore tasting menu of foods and wine… [view entry]

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, located in the town of Vernon on the boarder of Massachusetts and Vermont, has been a topic of environmental concern and debate for many years.  On Sunday, November 7th, the plant shut down due to a cooling water leak, but was back online to the New England grid early next Thursday morning.

Local residents and politicians, fearing the dated, aging plant could lead to potential nuclear disaster, have been pushing to permanently close the plant for years.  In fact, the consensus in the Vermont Legislature is that Vermont Yankee should be closed when its 40-year license expires in March, 2012.  Entergy, the Louisiana-based power company that owns the plant, has since put the reactor on the market as of last week given the continued… [view entry]

On Monday, the DOE announced a $18.5 million grant will be dispersed via the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) amongst various energy research labs and companies throughout New England.  The funds are part of the larger $349 million Recovery Act funding pool and will be used primarily for energy efficiency projects; specifically in this case, solid state lighting using gallium nitride, air conditioning efficiency, chemical flow batteries, and overall energy storage capacity research.

MIT will receive $4.4 million, United Technologies Research Center will receive a total of $8.8 million, Beacon Power Corp will receive $2.2 million, Proton Energy will receive $2.1 million and General Compression will receive $750,000. Massachusetts continues to be a leader in the domestic clean-energy technology revolution and these funds will help push forward… [view entry]

New Generation Energy (NGE) is a Boston-based nonprofit that operates in six states of New England, and supports energy efficiency and all types of renewable energy including solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal. Their goal is to make communities greener, healthier, and more economically vital through the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

NGE announced the launch of a microdonation website to support local green energy projects and lower carbon emissions of nonprofits. A unique feature of this new website is that donors can pre-select donation amounts that save a specific amount of carbon. For example a donation amount can be selected that eliminates one ton of CO2.

Similar to popular microlending sites such as Kiva.org, NGE’s microdonation website allows people… [view entry]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldworldworld/3314227532/ Not only is the infamous Pacific Garbage Patch (or gyre as it is properly known) possibly much larger than previously estimated, an Atlantic counterpart has been discovered.

In more local news, your orders of fried clams this summer might get a little expensive. Researchers have warned that New England may experience major red tide events this year.

Lastly, a potentially positive piece: California is considering “un-grand-fathering” power plants permits to dump waste heat into coastal waters.

A reader submitted this link regarding a traveling exhibit dubbed “Seasons of Change” about global warming’s impact on New England. You can find it at the Ecotarium in Worcester through May, where you might also enjoy an Inspiring Breath of Spring! and other exhibits. Eventually, it will be accessible via public transportation at the Museum of Science, but not anytime this year.