Doubts Cast on State’s Renewable Energy Bill

A Southcoast business leader says the state's proposed renewable energy bill is fool's gold.

The Massachusetts House recently passed a bill calling for 1,400 megawatts each of Canadian hydropower and offshore wind. Rob Mellion, President of the Fall River Area Chamber of Commerce, says that won't come close to covering the state's energy needs over the next decade. "We've got 10,000 megawatts that is planned to go off line in the next several years. We're not replacing them with anything that is going to actually assist in making up that gap. And that's deeply concerning," said Mellion.

Mellion says Governor Baker wanted to see nearly twice the amount of renewable energy generated than was passed in the House.

He adds the amount of energy generated by offshore wind under the House version may not offset the cost of the transmission of the electricity to land, placing additional costs onto consumers.