BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 10, 2022
Since at least 2005, ISO New England has been claiming that we could freeze in the dark because we don’t have enough natural gas or enough power plants to keep the lights on each winter. The solution? According to ISO, piping in more fossil fuels unless we want to shut sections of the power grid down in controlled, rolling blackouts until more fossil fuels can be piped in. ISO is using this threat of rolling blackouts not only to push for increased fossil fuel usage, but also to throw roadblocks in the way of what we need most: more clean energy. To fight climate change, we need increased electricity – for cars and trucks, for heating homes and businesses, and for public transportation. But that electricity needs to come from clean power sources, not fossil fuels. It’s time for policymakers in Maine and in the five other New England states to devise a concrete plan to hold ISO accountable. ~ Sean Mahoney, Conservation Law Foundation