Next governor must face difficult energy challenge
The first in a series of articles on issues facing the next governor.
With electricity prices close to the highest in the nation, Massachusetts is no friend to the energy consumer. It lies at the end of the energy pipeline, getting its oil by ship and natural gas from far away fields.
But the next governor will have a chance to make a significant improvement in supply by bringing more power, cleanly and efficiently, to the state. Energy demand in Massachusetts is rising close to 2 percent each year and a growing queue of energy projects are proposed on land and offshore.
If any of the projects are to succeed, they will require agreement among environmentalists who want clean air, residents who want unobstructed views , and industry groups that want more local energy sources. Proposed wind farms from Nantucket Sound to the Berkshires face fierce opposition from local residents. So do four proposed liquefied natural gas terminals on shore and off, a power plant in Chelsea , and a wood-burning facility in Russell.
The governor doesn't have carte blanche to approve many of the projects. He or she will get absolute refusal rights for only two offshore LNG terminals, for example. But the position holds enormous potential clout over any project, providing a platform to lobby federal regulators, turn public opinion , and coax developers and environmentalists to compromise. The governor can back financial incentives for wind or solar energy, and provide a blueprint for the state's energy future.
``This is the top issue -- it affects everyone's daily lives from the pocketbook to air quality to water quality to the kinds of jobs we have," said Lora Wondolowski, executive director of the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters. ``We are going to have to make tough decisions about energy."
The debate has been simmering for several years among environmentalists, residents , and business groups, and there is already some consensus about what not to build in Massachusetts. New nuclear power plants probably would not win popular support because too many people fear a catastrophic accident or terrorist attack. New coal-burning plants are equally unlikely because they spew particulate matter and vast amounts of carbon dioxide, the main culprit in global warming, into the air.
By the same token, there is agreement among many environmentalists and politicians that renewable energy projects -- inexhaustible sources such as wind and solar -- must be encouraged to help power the state and center Massachusetts as a hub of renewable energy technology. And most everyone agrees that the state should become more energy - efficient, a move that could buy consumers and businesses years before a true energy crunch arrives.
Yet specialists say renewable energy and efficiency will probably not solve the entire problem. And despite so many energy projects proposed in the state, environmentalists, industry groups, residents, and politicians have not been able to agree on which ones the state should embrace.
The highest - profile fight is on Nantucket Sound, where Cape Wind Associates wants to build 130 turbines to supply the equivalent of 75 percent of Cape Cod and the Islands' energy. To its supporters, the project is a symbol of the state's commitment to renewable energy. To its opponents, it is a giveaway of sacred public lands. Federal regulators could issue a preliminary decision about the $1 billion project's fate by the end of the year.
A proposed power plant in Chelsea that would use diesel fuel by the same parent company that wants to build the Cape's wind farm is facing opposition from residents because the city is already heavily polluted by other industrial sources. Energy Management Inc., which has proposed the $150 million plant, would operate it only during times of peak demand, such as on hot summer days, but that has not been enough to overcome opposition.
LNG terminals are also drawing fierce opposition because the tankers that deliver fuel to them, each carrying enough gas to power about 30,000 homes for a year, could explode if there is a terrorist attack or accident. A $450 million Fall River terminal has been approved by federal regulators, but faces strong opposition by residents and politicians concerned about safety and terrorism. A $500 million LNG terminal proposed on Outer Brewster Island in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area has been vehemently opposed by conservationists. And two proposed LNG ports 10 and 13 miles off Gloucester are opposed by fishermen who would lose prime fishing grounds. The systems, including a deep - water port, pipeline , and ship, could cost about $500 million each.
The next governor faces a steep climb to meet a legislative requirement of having 4 percent of the state's energy from renewable sources by 2009. Already, state officials say there aren't enough sources to meet a 2.5 percent goal this year.
But some business and industry groups say the more pressing issue is simply supply.
``Asking companies to shut down during peak demand and going home, well, it might get you through a heat wave, but that isn't a really good economic policy," said Robert Rio, vice president of government affairs for Associated Industries of Massachusetts, an industry group. ``We are balancing at the head of a pin here. We are running out of power."
While energy issues will dominate the environmental agenda for the next governor, he or she will face these other critical issues:
Global warming. Governor Mitt Romney pulled out of a multi state compact late last year that requires power plants to limit carbon dioxide from their smokestacks. As carbon dioxide regulations make headway in other states, the next governor will have to decide whether to sign the agreement and what else, if anything, to do to limit the odorless, colorless gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.
Park upkeep. State parklands are facing a maintenance backlog of more than $800 million, the result of years of neglect. More than three years after Romney promised to create a world-class park system, bathhouses are in disrepair, ice rinks are crumbling , and parklands are overgrown. The next governor will have to prioritize which parks, bridges , and swimming pools are most important to fix.
``We're thinking about hanging Christmas lights on the weeds," Nahant Selectman Richard Lombard said about the overgrown, neglected Nahant beaches and causeway, which are maintained by the state. Lombard said the state has not followed through on promises to fix a bathhouse and build a bathroom halfway down the long causeway. ``It's an absolute disgrace."
Underfunded environmental programs. Massachusetts is 49th in per-capita spending on the environment in the country, according to the most recent data available. The state Department of Environmental Protection cut 24 percent of its staff between 2001 and 2003 and only recently began hiring. Environmentalists say the result is apparent in a lack of consistent enforcement of environmental crimes, and cutbacks in water monitoring and hazardous waste cleanup. ``The consequences are all around us," said Jim Gomes, president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts. ``It's the factory that hasn't been inspected for pollution."
Public transit. Promises made to offset the impact of the Big Dig, including the MBTA Green Line extension to Somerville, a downtown Red Line/Blue Line connector , and the reinstatement of a trolley along the Arborway have not been met. Riders also want to see an ``urban ring" -- a connection between the spokes of the various MBTA lines -- to avoid, for example, having to go into the city to get from Cambridge to Allston.
Water. The next governor will also have to ensure there is enough money to inspect old dams after one in Taunton nearly breached last year. Pollution that runs into waterways from people's lawns and roads will continue to be an issue because they can spark algal blooms that can harm humans and wildlife.
``The environment budget is less than 1 percent of the total state budget," Gomes said. ``Problems like education and healthcare take hundreds of millions of dollars or even billions of dollars to fix. The environmental budget can be made healthy again for a whole lot less than that."
Beth Daley can be reached by e - mail at bdaley@globe.com 