Governor unveils plan to reduce energy demand
Alternate power would raise supply
Trying to stave off power shortages and high electricity costs, Governor Mitt Romney unveiled a plan yesterday to both reduce demand and increase supply in Massachusetts.
Within the next month, Romney will require more efficient energy use in state buildings, increased use of biofuels in the state automobile fleet, and creation of a lottery in which prizes will be awarded to consumers who buy energy-efficient equipment.
During the fall, Massachusetts will request proposals for wind and biomass power facilities at state buildings and on state land, convene a summit on advanced energy technologies, and seek a decision on where to locate offshore liquefied natural gas receiving terminals.
Romney opposes an onshore facility proposed for Weaver's Cove in Fall River, but he has voiced support for a plan to build an offshore terminal on Outer Brewster Island at the edge of Boston Harbor.
More broadly, through a mix of executive orders and legislation he will request from the House and Senate, the governor will seek to establish a ``negawatts" program in which utility companies pay customers who reduce their energy use, support the establishment of selective wind power projects, and work with businesses and universities to develop deep-water offshore wind farms.
The governor opposes the Cape Wind plant proposed for Nantucket Sound, which he says is a pristine, nationally known tourist destination. But he supports similar projects in Princeton, Hull, and other Massachusetts locations.
Romney also plans to seek market-based electricity pricing, in which consumers would pay more for running appliances and other electrical devices at peak periods, while paying less at off-peak times. Overall bills would not rise, he said, but consumers would have an incentive to consume power during lower-cost periods.
The governor said the plan is necessary to avoid rolling blackouts in the future and to ensure that the state's electricity demand does not exceed its capacity, which is predicted to occur in 2013.
Sue Reid of the Conservation Law Foundation called for swift implementation of Romney's proposal. ``To effectively confront the climate-change crisis and meet our energy needs, we need to do everything the governor is proposing on efficiency, conservation, clean energy and more," she said.
