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US Treasury Indicates Extension of Deadlines for Accessing Wind, Solar Tax Credits
May 8, 2020 | Blog
A letter issued by the Office of Legislative Affairs at the Department of the Treasury Thursday suggests that some relief is on the way for a renewables industry that has been battered by the COVID-19 crisis and has expressed concern about fast-approaching tax credit deadlines.
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MassCEC BRIDGES Program Now Accepting Applications
May 5, 2020 | Blog | By Sahir Surmeli, Thomas Burton
The Bridging Recovery for Innovators Driving Green Energy Solutions (BRIDGES) Program, created by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), is currently accepting applications from clean energy startups in need of support in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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With Most State Capitols Closed, Some States Press Forward on Clean Energy Legislation
May 1, 2020 | Blog | By Sahir Surmeli, Thomas R. Burton, III
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep most of America home, including state legislators, some states have managed to pass landmark clean energy legislation whilst prioritizing matters related to the novel coronavirus.
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The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI): Everything You Need to Know, Part IV: The Challenges to TCI Implementation
March 30, 2020 | Blog | By Sahir Surmeli, Thomas R. Burton, III
In Part III of our series on the Transportation and Climate Initiative, we took a deep dive into one TCI jurisdiction, Massachusetts, to see how the plan might look once implemented. However, the broad implementation of this regional initiative is anything but certain. Despite the steps that some jurisdictions have taken in progressing towards legislation and executive action to implement the plan, many states are facing legitimate challenges that may prevent this regional program from actually going into effect.
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Wireless Charging for Electric Vehicles
March 30, 2020 | Blog
Demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has been growing as more and more models and are coming to market, some from new automakers. One barrier to widespread adoption of EVs is the amount of charging time that is required, especially when using home or other charging systems where users must charge their vehicles overnight to obtain a full charge. This is a technical issue that the industry is in the process of resolving, chiefly by improving upon today’s much-used “plug-in” charging systems.
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An Ambitious New Ban on Gas Vehicles in the U.K.
March 5, 2020 | Blog | By Sahir Surmeli
In early February, the United Kingdom announced a new goal in its efforts to confront climate change: a ban on the sale of all new gas and diesel cars by 2035. The ambitious announcement is set to speed up the country’s timeline for addressing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by five years, modifying the previous goal of a 2040 ban.
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The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI): Everything You Need to Know, Part III: The Plan for Massachusetts
March 2, 2020 | Blog | By Sahir Surmeli, Thomas R. Burton, III
In Parts I and II of our series delving into the details of the Transportation Climate Initiative, we provided an overview and described the structure of the TCI. In Part III, we will discuss how the plan might look in one TCI jurisdiction, Massachusetts, and how the Commonwealth will prioritize investment of the proceeds from the initiative.
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The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI): Everything You Need to Know, Part II: How Will TCI Work?
February 4, 2020 | Blog | By Sahir Surmeli, Thomas R. Burton, III
In Part I of our series on the Transportation Climate Initiative TCI, we provided an overview of this innovative program. Here in Part II, we will delve into how the initiative will work. As a regional policy, TCI will provide a framework for each state jurisdiction to implement in its own way. The recently released Framework for a Draft Regional Policy Proposal provides important insights into the way that the TCI could be structured in each state.
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Energy Tax Extenders Passed in Washington
January 8, 2020 | Blog | By Thomas R. Burton, III
On December 17, 2019, the United States House of Representatives voted to pass a $1.4 trillion spending package as an amendment to the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 1865). The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act of 2019 amendment, which included several energy-related tax provisions and extensions, was added to the end of the bill and unveiled just days before Congress was set to adjourn for the year.
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The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI): Everything You Need to Know, Part I: What Is the TCI?
January 7, 2020 | Blog | By Thomas Burton, Sahir Surmeli
On December 17, 2019, thirteen jurisdictions in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States officially issued an ambitious plan to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions and investing in sustainable transportation infrastructure. The plan, entitled the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), which has taken nearly a year to be drafted, is the first inter-state initiative of its kind and, if implemented, would drastically change the face of transportation along the East Coast.
In this first installment of a four-part series on the TCI, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the initiative and explain its aims. Subsequent installments will cover the initiative’s structure, the plan for Massachusetts, and potential challenges to implementation.
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In this first installment of a four-part series on the TCI, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the initiative and explain its aims. Subsequent installments will cover the initiative’s structure, the plan for Massachusetts, and potential challenges to implementation.
New York Permits 316 MW Battery Storage Project, Trading Gas Plant for World’s Largest Battery
December 2, 2019 | Blog | By Thomas R. Burton, III, Sahir Surmeli
New York’s utility regulator has approved construction on a 316-megawatt battery storage plant, a facility that, if built, would provide emissions-free power to New York City and the surrounding region while replacing a significant portion of the city’s fossil-fueled energy. Known as the Ravenswood Development, the project aims to provide 2,528 MWh of power and would operate during peak hours, with enough storage capacity to discharge 8 hours of power during the hours of highest demand.
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Offshore Wind Turbine Blade Set to Be Tested in Boston
November 22, 2019 | Blog | By Sahir Surmeli, Thomas R. Burton, III
On November 5, 2019, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and GE Renewable Energy together announced the arrival of a powerful offshore wind turbine blade in Boston.
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Blockchain in Energy: Regulatory Sandboxes and the Clean Peak Standard
November 6, 2019 | Blog
On September 20, 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) filed a Notice of Public Review of the proposed 225 CMR 21.00, the Clean Peak Energy Portfolio Standard regulation. DOER seeks public comment on the proposed regulation. Originally part of An Act to Advance Clean Energy, which was signed into law in 2018, the Clean Peak Energy Portfolio Standard, or Clean Peak Standard (CPS), is designed to reduce demand at peak times and to shift energy use at these times to clean energy source.
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Mintz Sponsors Horizon18
October 25, 2019 | Blog | By Thomas Burton
Mintz is excited to sponsor Horizon18, a new global event for the clean energy economy taking place October 10-11 in Boston.
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Blockchain in Energy: A Review of the Current Landscape
October 1, 2019 | Blog
At the recent Blockchain in Energy conference hosted by Greentech Media (GTM), the theme was entirely clear: the perception of blockchain in the energy industry has matured from proclaiming blockchain a disruptive panacea that would completely vault a heavily regulated industry into the transactive grid of the future to placing blockchain as a tool in the firmament of the technology stack for the currently transitioning grid
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MassCEC Upcoming Programs
September 27, 2019 | Blog | By Sahir Surmeli
Blockchain in Energy: An Argument for a Regulatory Sandbox
September 24, 2019 | Blog
Internet of Things Strategies for the Energy Sector
September 18, 2019 | Blog
Whether thinking about managing oil and gas, water or other infrastructure facilities, or considering industrial efficiency, robotics and automation, you may be pondering how the Internet of Things (IoT) can be used to leverage resources. Forward thinking strategies include not just staying on top of regulatory changes that affect the IoT ecosystem, but also influencing them.
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New York Approves Major Offshore Wind Energy Deal
August 12, 2019 | Blog
As the latest step in New York’s hard-driving clean energy agenda, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the approval of a major offshore wind energy deal while signing the state’s Green New Deal into law on July 18.
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Blockchain in Energy: Smart Legal Contracts on the Rise
July 26, 2019 | Blog
Smart contracts are an integral part of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies; the latter has seen a dramatic increase in mainstream commercial use. We explore the rise of the smart legal contract.
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Viewpoint Editors
Thomas R. Burton, III
Member / Chair, Energy & Sustainability Practice
Sahir Surmeli
Member / Co-chair, Energy & Sustainability Practice
Paul H. Dickerson
Member
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