Coal-Free Massachusetts 2020

Massachusetts leads the nation in energy efficiency and has the strongest climate change law in the country—requiring the Commonwealth to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Massachusetts has been lauded and celebrated for its success in showing the economic and environmental benefits of policies that promote clean energy, such as the Green Communities Act of 2008. And yet, Massachusetts is still home to the largest coal-fired power plant in New England, Brayton Point in Somerset, Massachusetts.

CLF is committed to making Massachusetts coal-free by 2020, and we have already made great strides through our advocacy and our work with communities and allies. In 2008, when NRG announced that it planned to convert Somerset Station to unproven coal gasification technology instead of honoring its obligation to shut down by 2010, CLF launched a legal challenge, and ultimately, Somerset Station stopped operating in January 2010. In 2010, CLF secured a victory at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that paved the way for the retirement of Salem Harbor Station. In 2010 CLF also joined forces with HealthLink to sue the owners of Salem Harbor Station for violating the Clean Air Act, and in 2012, CLF finalized a settlement with Dominion Energy that ensures that CLF can enforce the shutdown of Salem Harbor Station and prevents any future use of coal at the site. 2 Units closed on December 31, 2011 and the final two units will retire on June 1, 2014.

The time to phase out coal is now. Coal has been suffering in the market due to historic lows in natural gas prices, rising coal prices, and the inefficiency of these aging plants. Mount Tom Station announced that it would lay-off over half of its workers at the end of 2011. But there is more work to be done to ensure retirement. The coal units that continue to operate in Massachusetts are 45-55 years old, and even those with updated pollution controls continue to take a huge toll on public health and the environment. For example, according to a Clean Air Task Force report, coal-fired power in Massachusetts causes 251 deaths, 211 hospital admissions, and 471 heart attacks every year. Coal also accounts for a disproportionate amount of Massachusetts’ greenhouse gas emissions equaling 50% of the greenhouse gas emissions from the electric sector in Massachusetts in 2009 despite providing only 23% of the electricity. Phasing out coal will improve our quality of life and improve our economy. Taking coal-fired power off the electric grid makes room for more renewable power and for newer power plants that can respond more quickly and efficiently to demand.

Join with us in the fight to build a clean energy future in Massachusetts.