Offshore Power

Massachusetts Legislature Moves Forward with Reforms that Would Reshape the Energy Sectors to Achieve Climate and Economic Development Goals

On April 7, 2022, Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means Committee issued its response to an earlier House Ways and Means Bill (House No. 4524).  The Senate bill, Senate No. 2819, revised a number of features of the earlier House bill with respect to the Commonwealth’s procurement of offshore wind energy, but also addressed a range of issues focused upon climate matters.  The Senate bill also included a range of provisions to advance electric vehicles, other forms of renewable energy, real estate development that advances climate goals and fundamentally alter consumers’ options by eliminating the competitive retail electricity supply market and decarbonizing the natural gas industry, as summarized below.

What’s next?  We understand that the Senate will be taking amendments to the bill during the next few days and that the Senate will likely adopt a form of Senate No. 2819 later this month.  The House will likely adopt a different version of the bill, resulting in the establishment of a conference committee to work out the

Clean Energy Stands to Win Big with Biden Administration’s Proposed Infrastructure Plan

On March 31, 2021, President Biden released his $2 trillion infrastructure plan (the “Infrastructure Plan”) intended to target grid modernization, energy efficiency, and renewable energy development as part of the Administration’s ongoing effort to achieve a net-zero emissions power sector by 2035, and net-zero economy by 2050. In response to the recent Texas power crisis, the Infrastructure Plan proposes a $100 billion investment to modernize the electric grid with at least 20 GW of high-voltage capacity power lines. The Biden Administration also proposes creation of a Grid Deployment Authority at the Department of Energy to leverage existing rights-of-way and support creative financing tools to encourage high-voltage transmission lines.

The Infrastructure Plan proposes a 10-year extension and phase down of an expanded direct-pay investment tax credit and production tax credit for clean energy generation and storage. The Biden Administration also proposes creation of an Energy Efficiency and Clean Electricity Standard (EECES) aimed at cutting electricity bills and electricity pollution, increasing competition in the market, incentivizing efficient use

Welcome to the Energy Infrastructure Blog!

Welcome to the Energy Infrastructure Blog – EI Blog, for short – Pierce Atwood’s new blog that will provide information and analysis on the key policy and legal issues relevant to energy infrastructure policy, development, and finance in New England and beyond.  Pierce Atwood has assembled a team of legal practitioners from diverse practice areas who focus on all aspects of developing, buying, and selling energy infrastructure projects, and who also recognize that understanding both the fundamentals and trends in this ever-changing area is essential for developers, investors, policymakers, and interested members of the public.  We look forward to sharing our insights with you. 

Why an energy infrastructure blog – and why now?

We may not always think about it, but the mixed generation fleets, as well as the electricity transmission and distribution network that “keep the lights on” throughout New England are integral parts of everyone’s everyday lives.  Policymakers, lawyers, and