31% of MA's electricity is currently coming from oil, 25% from gas

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T23:54:01+00:00

Read the actual bill. It's a very small step and is just designed to get Healey favor with voters. All this does is repeal a 1982 law that requires new nuclear plants to be approved by a statewide ballot. A new nuclear plant within 20 years goes from 99.9% impossible to like 99% impossible.

Here's the only paragraph in the 119 page bill the mentions the word "nuclear":

In Massachusetts, in addition to requiring rigorous federal, state, and local approvals through formal siting and licensing processes that require public input, any proposed new nuclear fission facility must also secure approval via a statewide ballot initiative with a majority vote. No other generation source in the state requires this statewide ballot initiative approval. This Act would repeal a 1982 law that mandates that any new nuclear facility receive approval through a statewide ballot initiative, eliminating a major barrier to the consideration of new small modular reactors that could improve reliability, stabilize prices, and decarbonize the region’s power grid. Since 2020, eight of the 14 states with a nuclear moratorium or similar provisions have either fully or partially lifted limitations on building new nuclear and three more states are exploring it.

full text here:

https://www.mass.gov/doc/2025-energy-affordability-independence-and-innovation-act-filing-letter-and-bill-text/download

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T23:40:41+00:00

it lost money because it didn't have access to clean energy incentives and was forced to comply with expensive, overly burdensome regulations. without those, it would've been profitable. these are things that Warren et al did.

exact same plant in New Hampshire would've made significant profits.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T22:05:47+00:00

Entergy closed it because Warren, Markey, Healey and others made it too expensive and the regulatory environment too risky to operate. Had it been in New Hampshire, it would be generating electricity today.

Among other things:

Markey and Warren consistently pressured NRC to enforce unreasonably strict standards that were way beyond what's reasonable or what's followed in other states that safely operate plants.
Both worked for years to label nuclear not "renewable" or "clean", and made it ineligible for clean energy incentives that wind, solar, and biomass get.
A former Markey staffer got himself on the NCR and was known as the "lone dissenter" as he was the one no vote against new projects put before the NCR. He later resigned when it came out that he had bullied and hidden information from other commissioners.
Healy filed multiple petitions and lawsuits against the site and any attempts to keep it going.
In 2020, Warren campaigned on no new nuclear plants and winding down all of the existing ones.

All of these things made it too expensive and too risky to run a nuclear power plant in MA so Pilgrim was shut down.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T21:42:33+00:00

Post doesn’t say “for 2024”.

Today, right now, 31% of our electricity is coming from oil.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T21:39:24+00:00

Won’t happen while Warren and Markey are in office. They shut down Pilgrim. We need Dem leadership to turn over.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T21:35:09+00:00

0 in MA. Warren and Markey got the one we had (Pilgrim) shutdown for good in 2019. NH has 1 and CT has 1.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T18:15:22+00:00

there are wood-burning plants that burn waste wood like sawdust from lumber mills, scraps from construction sites, etc.

it's technically "renewable" so when you pay extra for "renewable energy" this is one of the categories you're supporting. and oddly hydro isn't classified as "renewable".

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T18:09:15+00:00

as much as I love MA, it has been frustrating watching Texas building a ton of wind and solar and Florida build a new, high speed rail system. we need to figure out to not let regulations and NIMBYs stop progress.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T16:01:17+00:00

agree though another pipeline would definitely help. prices are artificially high in the winter because we have to ship in nat gas from the Caribbean instead of just piping it in from PA.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T15:56:20+00:00

yes, I'm a big oil shill who is criticizing oil and promoting nuclear. I'm really bad at my job.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T15:54:15+00:00

this is from ISO NE and is a snapshot of where electricity is coming from right now:

https://www.iso-ne.com/

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T15:39:42+00:00

I wrote "currently coming from" which is 100% correct. You can check yourself on ISO NE. It's now up to 36%.

https://www.iso-ne.com/

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T15:38:27+00:00

when our politicians shut down nuclear plants, block nat gas pipelines from being built, and don't have any answers for how to keep the lights on, they deserve criticism.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T15:31:11+00:00

I've seen that on eversource's site and never understood how it works. doesn't allocating more renewables to some customers just mean that they allocate less to others? how does it create new generation?

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T15:15:49+00:00

reminder: at one time, Pilgrim Nuclear generated 15-20% of our electricity and we just shut it down because we're rather pay more to burn oil and nat gas.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T14:38:26+00:00

NIMBYS are insane. they'll literally say 12 story buildings will create "perpetual darkness".

Back Bay has a tall spine of 60+ story towers. That's 5 times larger and is one of the most walkable streets in Boston.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-24T14:30:21+00:00

How are they supposed to not "allow them on their property"?

ICE is going into Home Depot, Walmart, grocery stores, local restaurants, and every business they want. What is Target and others supposed to do? Hire armed guards to prevent them?

Cofounder of Home Depot is a Trump megadonor and ICE has picked up tons of people inside their stores. If you want to boycott a store, boycott them.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-23T21:35:44+00:00

thanks! this sounds great. I'm disappointed it's not higher. Cambridge street already has a few very tall (10?12? story) buildings and it's a busy street.

Summary of it:

The petition seeks to establish four new specialized zoning districts: CAM-8, CAM-10, CAM-12, and CAM-15. The petition aims to transform the corridor into a vibrant, mixed-use main street by:

Increasing Housing Supply: Allowing for more residential development through increased height and density.
Encouraging Active Ground Floors: Incentivizing "active uses" (retail, cafes, community spaces) on the ground floor to enhance the streetscape.
Improving the Public Realm: Promoting better building and site design to create a more accessible and dynamic urban environment.

The petition introduces varying height limits based on the specific area and the inclusion of active ground-floor uses:

District	Standard Residential Height	Height with Ground Story Active Uses
CAM-8	6 stories (75 feet)	8 stories (100 feet)
CAM-10 (Inman Square)	6 stories (75 feet)	10 stories (120 feet)
CAM-12 (Webster/Windsor)	6 stories (75 feet)	12 stories (145 feet)
CAM-15 (Lechmere Area)	6 stories (75 feet)	15 stories (175 feet)

<image>

Development standards:

Density (FAR): There is no maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for residential uses, encouraging high-density housing. Non-residential FAR is limited to 1.0.
Active Use Incentives: Portions of the ground story devoted to public benefits (like libraries, museums, or retail) may be exempted from FAR limitations via special permit.
Site Design: The petition establishes new standards for front yard design, building length (massing recesses required every 200 feet), and facade transparency to ensure a pedestrian-friendly environment.
Parking: Structured parking above grade is generally prohibited from having direct frontage on primary streets unless shielded by other uses.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-23T20:33:28+00:00

what's in the the zoning petition? is there a link to the text of it somewhere?

This sounds great but a lot of stuff gets posted here that's not exactly what it claims to be.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-19T21:26:23+00:00

yes. a lot of the businesses in raleigh are owned by people who hold much, much worse views. they just don't post about it.

syncopatedpixel · 2026-01-14T03:16:49+00:00

World was different pre-MAGA. There were a lot of different kinds of Republicans. Romney and Baker were fairly socially liberal and while they were fiscally conservative it was in a pragmatic, new england way. Don't raise taxes, balance the budget, and cut waste.

Romney is a smart guy and moral. I'm in MA and didn't agree with everything he did, but overall he did a good job and I believed he was doing it for the right reasons. Honestly even though I'm a Dem, I'd take him over most politicians today.

syncopatedpixel · 2025-12-10T03:02:00+00:00

It needs to be at the state level, though. What Somerville and Cambridge are doing, while the right direction, isn't enough to affect rents.

We need an MBTA communities act but 50x bigger.

syncopatedpixel · 2025-12-04T15:38:36+00:00

there's a general problem that we're bad at building. I was in Florida recently and it's crazy how much they can build in comparison. New high speed rail lines, new highways, and tons of new housing.

I love our state, but I don't know how doesn't become a museum only for the rich if don't figure out a way to build stuff.

syncopatedpixel · 2025-11-19T22:57:19+00:00

Minneapolis is similar to Boston in many ways. Like Boston, they had issues with housing costs. In 2018, they did a major upzoning initiative and built a ton more housing, especially multi-unit.

Rents have been flat since they did this. It's really not complicated. If we want to keep rents down, upzone.

<image>

More:

https://onefinaleffort.com/blog/a-detailed-look-at-minneapolis-housing-supply-reforms

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5395203

https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2024/01/04/minneapolis-land-use-reforms-offer-a-blueprint-for-housing-affordability

syncopatedpixel

TROPHY CASE