Mass Leads Request to Establish Interregional Transmission Collaborative

Print Story | Email Story
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) a request on behalf of all the New England states, New York, and New Jersey to form a Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission, a new approach to planning for electric transmission infrastructure across multiple regions. 
 
Under the proposed structure, DOE would lead the states in planning activities that may include investigating opportunities for mutually beneficial options for increasing the flow of electricity between three different planning regions in the Northeast and assessing offshore wind infrastructure needs and solutions. Greater interconnectivity between regions lowers prices for consumers through a larger marketplace for low-cost clean energy generation, bolsters reliability during periods of extreme weather and system stress, and increases access to renewable energy to meet decarbonization requirements.  
 
"One of our first actions upon taking office was to create a team focused solely on regional and federal collaboration on energy issues. Already, we're strengthening our connections with our neighboring states to deliver cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable energy to Massachusetts residents," said Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper, who led the letter. "The Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission represents how the Healey-Driscoll Administration is looking to pursue innovative new approaches to accelerating our clean energy transition. We're grateful to our neighboring states and regions for joining together to propose this concept." 
 
The Commonwealth's Clean Energy and Climate Plans calls for a modernized and expanded transmission system to achieve our state's transition to a clean energy future. This includes increasing the transmission capacity between Massachusetts and neighboring regions. The establishment of a Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission, supported by DOE funding and technical expertise, would be a critical step toward unlocking and sharing in the clean energy potential that exists beyond each state's borders and off our shared coastline. The letter is signed by Massachusetts and seven other states: Connecticut, Maine New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. 
 
In February, Secretary Tepper established the first-ever Office of Federal and Regional Energy Affairs within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. She appointed Jason Marshall to serve as Deputy Secretary and Special Counsel for Federal and Regional Energy Affairs and Mary Louise "Weezie" Nuara to serve as Assistant Secretary for Federal and Regional Energy Affairs. The positions promote regional cooperation and advocate for advancing the Commonwealth's clean energy transition with federal, state, and other stakeholders. 
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Dalton Police Department Budget Fails at Finance

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Finance Committee last week voted against the Police Department budget, citing concerns with anticipated financial constraints.
 
The department proposed a budget of $1,679,488, a $144,232 or 9.39 percent, increase mainly caused by salary increases. 
 
When a motion on a budget fails, it goes back to the department, town manager, and the Select Board to see what can be done to rectify the reason for the failure, Finance Committee Chair William Drosehn said. 
 
The salary budget has an increase of $139,002, or 10.30 percent. 
 
"This is year one of a contractual year, and that's why there's a substantial jump, and there won't be a jump the next two years in a contract. Every first year of a contract is a jump based on salary increase," Police Chief Deanna Strout said. 
 
Committee member Thomas Irwin criticized the negotiations, stating that he believed Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson did not take into account the financial constraints facing the town. 
 
Considering the budgets that have been deliberated on and the available projections the overall percent increase for fiscal year 2026 is anticipated to be 5.41 percent, said Town Accountant Sandra Albano.
 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories