Mass. petition signers ask for curb on use of bee-killing pesticides

— ecoRI News photo

From ecoRI News (ecori.org)

Environment Massachusetts recently delivered a petition signed by 20,000 residents asking state officials to restrict the use of bee-killing pesticides known as neonicotinoids.

“A world without bees would mean a world without many of our favorite summer foods,” said Ben Hellerstein, state director for Environment Massachusetts. “People are speaking out to save our pollinators.”

Across the country, millions of bees are dying and bee colonies are in distress because of a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder, according to Hellerstein. While many factors are implicated in colony collapse disorder, one cause is the increased use of neonicotinoid insecticides, also known as neonics.

The petition asked state officials to restrict the use of neonics. Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, and Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, have filed bills (H.763 and S.463) to reduce the use of these pesticides.

“Virtually every one of my colleagues in the Legislature has heard from residents who understand the gravity and urgency of the threats to pollinator health,” Dykema said. “This is thanks to grassroots advocacy from students, beekeepers, scientists, farmers, and thousands of concerned citizens across Massachusetts who care about our environment, our food supply, and our bees.”

"Having fewer bees to pollinate our crops will have a catastrophic impact on our food supply and damage local economies,” Eldridge said.

Bees pollinate 71 of the 100 most common food crops in the world, including apples, pumpkins, cranberries and blueberries. Officials in Maryland, Connecticut, and Vermont have passed laws to reduce neonicotinoid use.

“Every few weeks we see another peer-reviewed study supporting restrictions on neonics,” said Marty Dagoberto, policy director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Massachusetts chapter. ““There’s no justification to keep these toxic chemicals on store shelves for untrained consumers. It’s time for the legislature to restrict use to licensed and trained pesticide applicators.”

Boston has huge solar-energy potential

From ecoRI News (ecori.org)

The amount of solar-energy capacity installed in Boston has tripled since 2013, according to a new report.

“In cities like Boston, the sunlight hitting the roofs of our homes, businesses, and institutions is an abundant source of pollution-free energy,” said Ben Hellerstein, state director for Environment Massachusetts. “We've made progress in harnessing this energy, but there’s a lot more Boston can do.”

Boston ranked ahead of Philadelphia but behind Burlington, Vt., for installed solar capacity per capita at the end of 2018.

The report, “Shining Cities 2019: The Top U.S. Cities for Solar Energy,’’ is the sixth annual report from Environment America and Frontier Group ranking America's large cities by the total and per-capita amount of solar energy capacity installed within city limits.

From 2013 to 2018, solar-energy capacity more than doubled in 45 of 57 of the country’s largest cities.

All of the cities in the study could install far more solar-energy capacity than they currently have. In Boston, the technical potential for solar-energy generation on small buildings is equal to more than nine times the amount of solar-energy capacity currently installed, according to Environment Massachusetts.

City officials are drafting a new version of Boston’s climate action plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. According to Carbon Free Boston, a report from the Boston Green Ribbon Commission and the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Boston University, up to 15 percent of Boston’s electricity could be generated by rooftop solar panels installed on buildings within city limits.

Last summer, environmental advocates and experts delivered a letter to Mayor Marty Walsh outlining their recommendations for Boston’s climate plan, including a requirement for new buildings to be built with solar panels on their roofs.

Boston can do much more with solar energy

By ecoRI News staff

ecori.org

BOSTON

As Massachusetts continues to debate policies critical to the growth of solar power, a recently released report ranks the city in the middle of the pack for total installed solar capacity.

The report, which ranks Boston 21st among major U.S. cities for solar, comes as the legislature considers raising Massachusetts’s solar goal to 25 percent solar by 2030.

“By using solar power here in Boston, we can reduce pollution and improve public health,” said Sharon Solomon of Environment Massachusetts. “While Boston has taken some steps to encourage solar energy, we can do much more. Solar has a critical role to play in moving Boston to 100 percent renewable energy.”

The report, Shining Cities: How Smart Local Policies Are Expanding Solar Power in America, ranks Boston ahead of Philadelphia, Seattle and Miami for the total amount of installed solar, but behind Newark, N.J., Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C.

Boston has taken some steps to expand solar energy, such as creating the Renew Boston solar program, which helped lower the cost of solar installations, and installing solar panels on schools and other public buildings. Additionally, businesses and community organizations are exploring innovative models to expand access to solar for low-income housing and churches.

The report outlines additional steps that cities can take to encourage the adoption of solar energy, including requiring “solar-ready” or zero-net-energy buildings and reforming permitting processes.

“With regression happening with environmental policies in Washington, D.C., it is important for cities and towns to lead in solar and renewable energy sources,” City Councilor Matt O’Malley said.

The data in the report reflect the recent growth of solar across the country. The top 20 cities listed in the report have nearly as much solar today as the entire country had installed in 2010. In 2016, solar was the No. 1 new source of energy installed in the United States.

The Solar Foundation recently released new data showing there are 12,486 people employed in solar industry in Greater Boston.

Despite that growth, challenges remain for the solar industry in Massachusetts. Caps on the state’s most important solar program, net metering, are holding back the growth of solar energy, according to Environment Massachusetts. The Legislature is currently considering bills that would lift or eliminate the caps on net metering, restore the full value of net-metering credits, and set a goal of generating 25 percent of the state’s electricity from solar by 2030.

Cities can push solar forward in a number of ways, according to the report. Among the recommendations, cities can set a goal for solar usage, help residents finance solar power, and put solar on government buildings.

Across the country, 25 cities, including Burlington, Vt., have committed to get 100 percent of their electricity from renewable sources.

“Cities are big energy users with lots of unutilized roof space suitable for solar panels,” Solomon said. “Boston has only just begun to tap its solar potential.”

Tim Faulkner: Mass. solar-power effort may face slowdown

for ecoRI News

Massachusetts ranks among the best in the country for solar energy, but there is increasing concern that Gov. Charlie Baker is hampering progress.

“Massachusetts is a national leader for solar power, but inaction by our state’s leaders is threatening to change that,” said Ben Hellerstein, state director for the environmental advocacy group Environment Massachusetts.

A recent report released by the organization, “Lighting the Way III: The Top States that Helped Drive America’s Solar Energy Boom in 2014,” ranked Massachusetts fourth in the nation last year for new solar capacity per capita. Solar capacity is the maximum amount of electricity a solar panel can generate.

For more than a year, however, the industry has seen its key program, net metering, threatened, as demand for solar-energy installations has far exceeded the electric limits set by the state and the electric utility.

These caps were raised several times during former Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration as stopgap compromises. But Baker is less open to resume the current cap after the limit was reached in March. In all, 171 communities served by National Grid have hit the limit.

However, Baker introduced a bill last month to increase the caps, but the legislation would slow the industry by making it harder for renters and residents of low-income communities to access the benefits of solar power, according Environment Massachusetts.

“The Governor’s bill would significantly reduce the compensation that many types of solar projects receive under net metering,” the organization wrote in a prepared statement.

Dan Berwick of solar installer Berrego Solar, based in Lowell, wrote in a blog post that the bill has short-term benefits. However, he also wrote that its net-excess proposal wouldn’t allow net-metering systems to bank electricity production from one month to another, a provision that “would undermine the fundamental structure of net metering that has led to its adoption in 44 states, and move Massachusetts from the front of the pack to the back in terms of net-metering policy.”

A report released in June by GTM Research predicts that the solar sector in Massachusetts will drop 1.3 percent this year because of regulatory uncertainty.

The state has experienced dramatic growth, reaching its best year in 2014 by installing 308 megawatts of new solar capacity. The Bay State’s entire mix of policies has increased solar-sector jobs to more than 12,000, with an average 127 percent growth per year between 2010 and 2013, according to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

“But without prompt action to lift the net-metering caps, we'll see a major slowdown in solar power,” said John Livermore, marketing and outreach director for the Woburn-based solar installer Boston Solar.

“The net-metering limits are killing hundreds of solar projects across Massachusetts,” said Lisa Podgurski, manager of business development for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 103.

Fees are also a concern. While Massachusetts hasn’t added monthly costs to homes and businesses with solar panels, Arizona has done so. The fees have been blamed for cutting solar demand in Arizona, prompting it to fall from first to eighth place last year in new solar capacity.

The Environment Massachusetts report concluded that New York and Texas have strong solar sectors, although for different reasons. New York’s growth is credited to strong state policies, while Texas has poor state policies but strong municipal incentives in cities such as San Antonio and Austin.

Here are some interesting facts and figures from that report:

California, Hawaii and Arizona get more than 5 percent of their electricity from solar power.

Nine of the top 10 solar states have the Property Accessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing program.

Connecticut ranked 10th in new solar electricity installed per capita in 2014.

Vermont and Hawaii have the strongest renewable electricity standards, which is the amount of “green” energy that comes from an electric socket. Hawaii has a goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2045; Vermont has a goal of 75 percent after 2032.

The American Legislative Exchange Council has helped state lawmakers across the country introduce 20 bills to repeal local renewable electricity standards.

U.S. solar capacity has grown 700 percent since 2010. During that time, the cost of generating solar power has dropped from 21.4 cents per kilowatt-hour to 11.2 cents.

Celebrating water protection in N.E.

A stretch of the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts.

From ecoRI News.

BOSTON

At a spot overlooking Boston Harbor, once choked with toxic pollution but now home to some of the cleanest urban beaches in the United States, advocates gathered July 1 to thank the Obama administration for closing loopholes in the Clean Water Act that previously left more than half of Massachusetts’s streams at risk of pollution.

“We’ve made so much progress in cleaning up our waterways, and we can’t afford to turn back the clock,” said Ben Hellerstein, state director for Environment Massachusetts. “The EPA’s Clean Water Rule will make a big difference in protecting Boston Harbor, the Charles River and all of the waterways we love.”

The Clean Water Rule, finalized in late May, clarifies federal protections for waterways following confusion over jurisdiction created by Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006. It restores Clean Water Act protections to thousands of miles of streams that feed into waterways that provide drinking water for millions.

“In New England, protecting our water is more important than ever, especially as we work to adapt to climate-change impacts such as sea-level rise and stronger storms,” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Curt Spalding said. “Protecting the most vulnerable streams and wetlands — a drinking-water resource for one in three Americans — helps our communities, and this rule provides clarity for businesses and industry without creating new permitting requirements.”

Before the Clean Water Rule became law, small streams, headwaters and certain wetlands were in a perilous legal limbo, allowing polluters and developers to dump into them or destroy them in many cases without a permit. In a four-year period following the rule’s creation, the EPA had to drop more than 1,500 cases against polluters, according to one analysis by The New York Times.

Prior to the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, Massachusetts waterways suffered from decades of pollution and neglect. As late as the 1980s, untreated sewage was regularly dumped into Boston Harbor, and high concentrations of industrial pollutants posed a public-health risk.

The Clean Water Act prompted a major cleanup of the harbor. Today, Boston boasts some of the cleanest urban beaches in the nation, and wildlife habitat has significantly improved, according to Environment Massachusetts.

Advocates pointed out that the Clean Water Act has enabled similar improvements in water quality in many of the state’s most iconic waterways, from the Charles River to the Connecticut River.

Despite broad public support for clean-water protections, polluting industries and some members of Congress are fighting to block implementation of the Clean Water Rule. In recent weeks, congressional committees have approved multiple bills aimed at rolling back the Clean Water Rule.

Boston becoming a solar Hub

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From ecoRI News

BOSTON

The city has more solar energy per capita than most other major cities in the Northeast, besting New York and Philadelphia by a wide margin, according to a recently released report from Environment Massachusetts.

“For years, state and city officials have championed the growth of solar energy,” said Ben Hellerstein, campaign organizer with Environment Massachusetts. “Now, Massachusetts has a booming solar industry that is slashing the state’s carbon emissions, reducing energy costs and creating thousands of local jobs.”

The report, entitled “Shining Cities: Harnessing the Benefits of Solar Energy in America,” ranks Boston fourth in per-capita installed solar capacity in the Northeast, with more than three times as much solar per person as New York or Philadelphia. Among the 64 major U.S. cities included in the report, Boston ranks 20th for the total amount of solar installed within city limits, far ahead of cities such as Houston, Miami and Tampa.

Solar energy has grown by an average of 127 percent annually in Massachusetts over the past three years, according to the 62-page report, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and curbing other forms of air pollution. In 2014, Massachusetts installed enough solar capacity to power 50,000 homes with clean energy, according to the report.

Through its Renew Boston program, the city has made it easier and cheaper for residents, businesses and organizations to go solar, with a goal of installing an additional 10 megawatts of solar energy by 2020. Last year, Boston and Cambridge launched the Race to Solar, a partnership aimed at bringing solar power to more nonprofits and small businesses.

The City  of Boston also has an online solar map, in partnership with Mapdwell, a Boston-based  MIT spin-off. This map provides residents and businesses accurate and accessible information about going solar. The tool has mapped all 127,000 buildings in Boston for their solar potential and found that Boston has the potential for 2.2 gigawatts of solar power.

“With some of the best incentives in the country, solar makes sense in Boston,” said Austin Blackmon, the city’s chief of environment, energy and open space.

Strong state-level solar policies have played an important role in fostering the growth of solar energy in Boston and across the state, according to Environment Massachusetts.

The state’s net-metering policy allows solar panel owners to receive fair compensation for the electricity they provide to the grid, Hellerstein said. Community shared solar projects are helping many families to access the benefits of solar energy, even if they rent their home or their roof can’t accommodate a solar installation.

The Levedo Building, in Dorchester, and the Old Colony Housing Project, in South Boston,  are among the affordable housing developments that have installed rooftop solar panels.

“Solar power makes sense for a low-income community like Codman Square: It helps to lower resident energy costs, helps residents stay in place in their homes, and protects resident health by reducing air pollution, all while helping the city reach its climate-change goals,” said Gail Latimore, executive director of the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation. “The Levedo Building, generates about 25 percent of its total electric consumption from a rooftop solar installation.”

Current legislation places a cap on the amount of solar power eligible for net metering, and the limit for solar projects in the National Grid service territory was recently hit, Hellerstein said.

Last month, some 120 supporters of solar energy, including advocattes for low-income  people,  business leaders, public-health advocates environmental activists, gathered at the Statehouse to ask state officials to take immediate action to raise the net-metering caps. Supporters also delivered letters signed by more than 350 municipal officials and more than 560 small-business leaders asking Gov. Charlie Baker to set a goal of generating 20 percent of Massachusetts’ electricity from solar by 2025.

The state’s solar industry now supports more than 12,000 jobs, according to Environment Massachusetts. More people work in the solar industry in Massachusetts than in any other state except California.

BOSTON

The city has more solar energy per capita than most other major cities in the Northeast, besting New York and Philadelphia by a wide margin, according to a recently released report from Environment Massachusetts.

“For years, state and city officials have championed the growth of solar energy,” said Ben Hellerstein, campaign organizer with Environment Massachusetts. “Now, Massachusetts has a booming solar industry that is slashing the state’s carbon emissions, reducing energy costs and creating thousands of local jobs.”

The report, entitled “Shining Cities: Harnessing the Benefits of Solar Energy in America,” ranks Boston fourth in per-capita installed solar capacity in the Northeast, with more than three times as much solar per person as New York or Philadelphia. Among the 64 major U.S. cities included in the report, Boston ranks 20th for the total amount of solar installed within city limits, far ahead of cities such as Houston, Miami and Tampa.

Solar energy has grown by an average of 127 percent annually in Massachusetts over the past three years, according to the 62-page report, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and curbing other forms of air pollution. In 2014, Massachusetts installed enough solar capacity to power 50,000 homes with clean energy, according to the report.

Through its Renew Boston program, the city has made it easier and cheaper for residents, businesses and organizations to go solar, with a goal of installing an additional 10 megawatts of solar energy by 2020. Last year, Boston and Cambridge launched the Race to Solar, a partnership aimed at bringing solar power to more nonprofits and small businesses.

The City  of Boston also has an online solar map, in partnership with Mapdwell, a Boston-based  MIT spin-off. This map provides residents and businesses accurate and accessible information about going solar. The tool has mapped all 127,000 buildings in Boston for their solar potential and found that Boston has the potential for 2.2 gigawatts of solar power.

“With some of the best incentives in the country, solar makes sense in Boston,” said Austin Blackmon, the city’s chief of environment, energy and open space.

Strong state-level solar policies have played an important role in fostering the growth of solar energy in Boston and across the state, according to Environment Massachusetts.

The state’s net-metering policy allows solar panel owners to receive fair compensation for the electricity they provide to the grid, Hellerstein said. Community shared solar projects are helping many families to access the benefits of solar energy, even if they rent their home or their roof can’t accommodate a solar installation.

The Levedo Building, in Dorchester, and the Old Colony Housing Project, in South Boston,  are among the affordable housing developments that have installed rooftop solar panels.

“Solar power makes sense for a low-income community like Codman Square: It helps to lower resident energy costs, helps residents stay in place in their homes, and protects resident health by reducing air pollution, all while helping the city reach its climate-change goals,” said Gail Latimore, executive director of the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation. “The Levedo Building, generates about 25 percent of its total electric consumption from a rooftop solar installation.”

Current legislation places a cap on the amount of solar power eligible for net metering, and the limit for solar projects in the National Grid service territory was recently hit, Hellerstein said.

Last month, some 120 supporters of solar energy, including advocattes for low-income  people,  business leaders, public-health advocates environmental activists, gathered at the Statehouse to ask state officials to take immediate action to raise the net-metering caps. Supporters also delivered letters signed by more than 350 municipal officials and more than 560 small-business leaders asking Gov. Charlie Baker to set a goal of generating 20 percent of Massachusetts’ electricity from solar by 2025.

The state’s solar industry now supports more than 12,000 jobs, according to Environment Massachusetts. More people work in the solar industry in Massachusetts than in any other state except California.

Tim Faulkner: Will Baker embrace solar power?

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff Municipal official across Massachusetts want Gov.-elect Charlie Baker to keep solar energy a priority when he takes office next month. Last week, the environmental advocacy group Environment Massachusetts released a letter signed by 340 officials from 135 cities and towns asking Baker to support solar energy, a sector they say improved dramatically under outgoing-Gov. Deval Patrick.

The letter, dated Dec. 9, was signed by officials from 18 of the 20 largest cities in the state, including mayors Jonathan F. Mitchell of New Bedford and William A. Flanagan of Fall River.

Baker hasn’t yet responded to the letter, nor did he respond to an ecoRI News inquiry, but Environment Massachusetts is upbeat. “We delivered the letter to Baker's transition team and had a positive conversation about the benefits that solar has brought to Massachusetts,” said Ben Hellerstein, campaign organizer for Environment Massachusetts.

On the energy front, Baker has so far selected Rep. Matthew Beaton (R-Shrewsbury), as the secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the top environmental post in the state. Beaton will oversee six state agencies, including the Department of Energy Resources and the Department of Environmental Protection. He owns a green-design and energy-efficiency consulting business for home construction.

The trade journal Solar Industry recently reported on the high praise Patrick has received for increasing the state’s solar capacity from 3.7 megawatts in 2007 to 580 megawatts today. Massachusetts now generates the fifth-most solar power in the country.

The Green Communities Act and the Global Warming Solutions Act, both passed in 2008, are credited for creating the programs and incentives that propelled the state's solar industry. In fact, according to Environment Massachusetts, the state's solar-energy capacity has grown 127 percent in the past three years. The sector employees about 12,000 workers, according to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Southeastern Massachusetts has experienced the most significant growth — 22 percent — since 2010.

Environment Massachusetts wants the new governor to embrace the goal of generating 20 percent of state power from solar energy by 2025. Currently, less than 2 percent of the state’s power comes from solar. The organization estimates the state has some 700,000 rooftops suited for solar panels. Combined with landfills and other sites, solar power has the potential to double the state’s electricity demand, according to the group.

The federal National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) says falling prices will help solar continue its popularity. Photovoltaic (PV) system prices dropped 12 percent to 19 percent nationally in 2013 and are expected to fall as much as 12 percent this year. NREL projects that if pricing trends continue, PV prices may soon reach grid parity, or even pricing, without federal or state subsidies.