National Grid Approved for Phase III Electric Vehicle Proposal

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WALTHAM, Mass. —The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities recently approved National Grid's Phase III Electric Vehicle (EV) proposal, the largest and most comprehensive EV program ever filed by the company, supporting the Commonwealth's goals of achieving net zero emissions, accelerating transportation electrification throughout Massachusetts, and providing customers with more charging options. 
 
This approval is among the first of its kind in the Northeast and will provide extensive EV infrastructure (Make Ready) through incentives and programs for residential, fleet, public, and workplace customers.
 
"With this approval, we aim to enable up to 32,000 additional charging ports to support the vehicle charging needs of all our customers and the communities we serve—including targeted components for low-income households and environmental justice communities," said Jake Navarro, Director, Clean Transportation Products, National Grid. "We know there remains more to do, including long-term investments in our electric infrastructure, but this is a significant step as we increase awareness, accessibility, and affordability to ensure the benefits of clean transportation are available to all."
 
Highlights of the Program offerings include:
  • Residential incentives to support at-home electrical upgrades, EV charger installations, and off-peak charging.
  • Public and Workplace EV charger incentives to enable widespread access to charging across communities and the Commonwealth.
  • Fleet offerings to assist with installing EV chargers and electrifying fleet vehicles,
  • including light-, medium- and heavy-duty.
  • Demand Charge Alternative Program to reduce the operating costs of fast chargers and help accelerate charger deployment in underserved locations.
Transportation is the largest contributing sector to greenhouse gas emissions in the Commonwealth (42 percent as of 2017). Under the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan the Commonwealth aims to have 200,000 EVs on the road by 2025 and 900,000 EVs by 2030.
 
"The number of charging stations that will be built as a result of this approval is the right order of magnitude to accommodate the growth in EVs that we need and expect to see over the next four years," said Larry Chretien, Executive Director, Green Energy Consumers Alliance. "The rebate that will be offered to residential EV owners who install Level 2 charging units will also be helpful in both encouraging people to get an EV and to charge their cars off-peak."
 
The Phase III Programs build upon the Company's first two Phases by providing offerings to meet the diverse needs of all our customers, creating the infrastructure required to support statewide EV adoption—at the scale necessary to meet Massachusetts' EV targets—and helping to enable the Commonwealth's broader transition to a clean transportation future.
 

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Letter: Is the Select Board Listening to Dalton Voters?

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

A reasonable expectation by the people of a community is that their Select Board rises above personal preference and represents the collective interests of the community. On Tuesday night [Nov. 12], what occurred is reason for concern that might not be true in Dalton.

This all began when a Select Board member submitted his resignation effective Oct. 1 to the Town Clerk. Wishing to fill the vacated Select Board seat, in good faith I followed the state law, prepared a petition, and collected the required 200-plus signatures of which the Town Clerk certified 223. The Town Manager, who already had a copy of the Select Board member's resignation, was notified of the certified petitions the following day. All required steps had been completed.

Or had they? At the Oct. 9 Select Board meeting when Board members discussed the submitted petition, there was no mention about how they were informed of the petition or that they had not seen the resignation letter. Then a month later at the Nov. 12 Select Board meeting we learn that providing the resignation letter and certified petitions to the Town Manager was insufficient. However, by informing the Town Manager back in October the Select Board had been informed. Thus, the contentions raised at the Nov. 12 meeting by John Boyle seem like a thinly veiled attempt to delay a decision until the end of January deadline to have a special election has passed.

If this is happening with the Special Election, can we realistically hope that the present Board will listen to the call by residents to halt the rapid increases in spending and our taxes that have been occurring the last few years and pass a level-funded budget for next year, or to not harness the taxpayers in town with the majority of the cost for a new police station? I am sure these issues are of concern to many in town. However, to make a change many people need to speak up.

Please reach out to a Select Board member and let them know you are concerned and want the Special Election issue addressed and finalized at their Nov. 25 meeting.

Robert E.W. Collins
Dalton, Mass.

 

 

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