New England Climate News Roundup
Warm winter temperatures, utility profits, PFAS, protests, and more.
While we’ve got plenty of longer pieces in the works, there’s no feature story for this week’s newsletter. But in the meantime, the climate fight never stops, so here’s your weekly roundup of the most important climate stories from across New England. Enjoy!
Climate News Roundup
Connecticut
A new documentary from Connecticut Public looks at how the state’s coastal communities are being affected by warming temperatures, rising sea levels, and worsening storms (Ryan Caron King — Connecticut Public)
UConn researchers are studying the climate and soil health benefits of biochar in the state (Elaina Hancock — UConn)
Maine
Maine will need more electricians to install the heat pumps and solar panels it needs to meet its climate goals (Carol Bousquet — Maine Public)
A new report from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute found that ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Maine hit their second highest recorded temperatures in 2022, behind only the temperatures recorded in 2021 (Don Carrigan — WCSH)
Phytoplankton — which make up the essential bottom rung of the marine ecosystem — are on decline in the Gulf of Maine (Murray Carpenter — Maine Public)
Exiro Mineral Corp, a Canadian mining company, is planning to look for nickel, copper and cobalt near Crawford Pond along Maine’s midcoast (Kate Cough — The Maine Monitor)
Massachusetts
PFAS contamination threatens the safety of drinking water across the state, while new regulations limiting the acceptable levels of the “forever chemicals” could cause massive rate hikes for tap water. Experts argue that these chemicals should be taken off the market to prevent the situation from getting any worse (Barbara Moran — WBUR)
Protests have continued over the construction of the unpopular East Boston substation, while environmental groups have an ongoing appeal to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (Ashley Soebroto — The Boston Globe)
Elizabeth Mahony, the Healey Administration pick to lead the Department of Energy Resources, has received praise from environmental advocates (Sabrina Shankman — The Boston Globe)
New Hampshire
Invasive pests and climate-fueled drought are putting additional pressure on the electricity distribution system in New Hampshire (Paul Briand — NHBR)
Rhode Island
The town of Warren, Rhode Island is looking to relocate about 700 housing units from a particularly flood-prone peninsula (Emily Tom, Janek Schaller, Megan Hall — The Public’s Radio)
The McKee administration has proposed eliminating shareholder incentives to Rhode Island Energy for running the state’s energy efficiency program, and would move the funds to create a dedicated budget for the state’s Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council, to the frustration of some advocates (Rob Smith — ecoRI)
Vermont
An in-depth look at how dependent Vermont’s grid is on fossil fuels, and how the state’s renewable energy credits system might be failing to generate investments in clean energy deployment in the region (Abagael Giles, Angela Evancie, Mae Nagusky — Vermont Public)
Vermont’s ice is disappearing, along with the traditions that rely on it (Joanna Slater — The Washington Post)
Across the region and beyond!
This January was the warmest on record for all six New England states, and was the sixth warmest January on record across the country (NOAA)
Avangrid, the parent company for Central Maine Power and Massachusetts’ Berkshire Gas Company, report a 25% increase in profits in 2022 as gas and electricity prices soared (Evan Popp — Maine Beacon)
Eversource, the electric and gas utility giant which operates in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, reported $1.2 billion in profits in 2022, while its highest-paid executive made over $10 million on the year (Brendan Crowley — CT Examiner)