Five grassroots activists, including myself (Bruce), met with Governor Patrick and EOEEAs Environment Undersecretary Maive Bartlett after last Wednesdays Boston rally. Heres a synopsis of the meeting. We asked the governor to withdraw his support for the tariff which would be levied on electric ratepayers to pay for the pipeline. The governor refused to withdraw that support. He offered political excuses, but in the end, he refused to withdraw that support. He said that we need more natural gas capacity in the state and described natural gas as a bridge fuel. I countered that natural gas may burn cleaner than coal and oil, but Massachusetts no longer burns much coal or oil for electricity production. Natural gas served a function as a bridge fuel in getting us off coal and oil, but now we have to move on. Natural gas is not cleaner than the alternatives (e.g., renewables, energy efficiency). The governor said. “Ive heard that argument. Im not buying it.” The governor suggested that we need more natural gas capacity in Massachusetts. I pointed to the Black and Veatchs energy analysis study that was contracted by NESCOE. It said that under a low demand scenario, Massachusetts did not need a new pipeline. I provided data from ISO-New England showing that we are in a low demand scenario. Undersecretary Bartlett responded that the study was flawed and based on outdated information. I pointed out that if the state rejected the Black and Veatch study, that left the state in a situation in which it had no data either supporting or opposing the idea of a pipeline, and that the state should therefore undertake a new study or rework the Black and Veatch study. The governor agreed. I asked to be kept in the loop related to this new undertaking. Undersecretary Bartlett agreed. The meeting was pleasant, and there were more than a few generalties (e.g., The governor is committed to a transparent process, he was pleased to see so many activists outside on the Common, his door is open to us, dont give up, this is not a done deal, he is skeptical of Kinder Morgan). But I have to say, the governors continued support of the tariff when he is the one person who could effectively end it, and his continued insistence that natural gas is a clean fuel and that we need more of it is discouraging. Bruce
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 23:48:16 +0000
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