happening today:
8:30 | The first day of the American Clean Power Association's Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition , including speeches from White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy Gina McCarthy, Vineyard Wind's Lars Thaaning Pedersen, Liz Klein of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and Francis Slingsby of SouthCoast Wind. Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston St., Boston
11:00 | Caucus of Women Legislators, Ellie Fund and Boston Breast Cancer Equity Coalition host a panel discussion about inequities in breast cancer care in Massachusetts. Organizers said the event kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In Room 428
1:00 | Justice Reform Caucus hosts a legislative briefing on H 2985 / S 1239, to remove the administration of Bridgewater State Hospital from the hands of the Department of Correction and put it into the Department of Mental Health. Disability Law Center's Director of Litigation Tatum Pritchard will discuss the center's recent report on the hospital. Room 428
3:00 | Congressman Auchincloss joins other members of Congress and VoteVets for press conference to call for "immediate funding for the defense of Ukraine against Russian invasion," which his office said was omitted from the 45-day stopgap government funding bill. Senate Swamp, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Offshore wind power players will flock to Boston today for a conference and exhibition about an industry that has promised transformative impacts. Getting them to stay in Massachusetts seems to be the harder part.
The two-day Offshore WINDPOWER hosted by the American Clean Power Association that runs through Wednesday comes at an especially precipitous time for the industry.
Massachusetts once had 3,200 megawatts of offshore wind projects lined up, a bit more than half as much as the state needs by 2027. But after a pair of developers secured state approval to back out of their contracts, only a single installation — the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind expected to begin generating power this month — remains in the mix.
Leaders of both Commonwealth Wind and SouthCoast Wind, the two ventures that retreated from their original plans, say they still want to build the turbines and just need more money to make the projects viable. They’re both expected to bid again in the latest procurement round.
And while the changing tides have slowed the march toward a clean energy future in Massachusetts, the Bay State isn’t alone. An auction for offshore wind development rights in three Gulf of Mexico tracts attracted just a single bid, and some industry watchers are projecting the United States will fall short of the Biden administration’s 2030 wind goal.
Event organizers at least don’t appear to be shying away from the inherent tension.
“The offshore industry is at a critical moment,” a bold-text introduction to the conference summary declares. It continues, “With supply chain disruptions and rising inflation, offshore wind’s essential role in our nation’s clean energy future is at risk. Come engage with the top industry leaders and government officials who are working to to [sic] achieve the full promise of this key economic development strategy and climate solution.”
The lineup is dotted with all sorts of eye-catching speakers. Francis Slingsby of SouthCoast Wind is up today — four days after Massachusetts regulators approved a $60 million termination agreement for that project — and Gov. Maura Healey is on the agenda tomorrow.
Hate group increasingly active on South Shore
David Smith of the Patriot Ledger reports Plymouth police are working with federal authorities after flyers seeking recruits to join NSC-131 — which several organizations have labeled a white-supremacist hate group. The group’s presence in the area has been growing in visibility recently as it stages protests outside motels housing migrant families. — Patriot Ledger
Beacon Hill environmentalists mull hard stance on concrete
Some state lawmakers want Massachusetts to follow New York’s lead and limit the amount of concrete that can be used in state-funded construction and transportation projects. Their goal is to reduce promoting the use of materials produced and transported at a significant carbon cost. Some Massachusetts businesses are working to develop cement and other materials with lower-carbon processes. — State House News Service
Attorney General creates unit to focus on abortion and gender
Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced the creation of what she is calling a Reproductive Justice Unit. She is tasking the team with focusing on protecting access to abortion and therapies that affirm patients’ gender choices. The head of the new office is Sapna Khatri. — Boston Herald
Roxbury Community College opens food pantry
Four years after a study found that 37 percent of its students lacked sufficient access to food, Roxbury Community College is set to open a food pantry today.TUESDAY The pantry is funded by federal pandemic-relief dollars as well as private donations, including one from Stop & Shop. — Axios Boston
Gender enrollment gap widening at Harvard
A new gender gap is opening at Harvard – the percentage of female first-year students compared with the percentage of male first-year students. In the 2020-2021 academic year, the freshman class was split close to 50/50. Since then, according to the Harvard Crimson, women have been pulling ahead. The last couple years, the gap has landed at about 5 percent.— Harvard Crimson
Foes of Hanscom private jet expansion want governor’s help
Groups opposing the proposed expansion of private jet facilities at Hanscom Field are asking Gov. Maura Healey to step in and stop the plans. The coalition of organizations representing environmentalists and Hanscom neighbors Monday released a report citing the carbon emissions gap between flying on a private jet and flying commercial and the report’s author told State House News Service many of the existing private jet flights from Hanscom go to ultra-luxury vacation destinations. — State House News Service
Boston bids for 250 more liquor licenses
Boston made its case to the state legislature Monday for being allotted another 250 liquor licenses over the next five years, something Mayor Michelle Wu and business leaders say could help drive economic development in traditionally underserved neighborhoods. — WGBH
Long-suspended Springfield cop suspended again after arrest
Springfield Police officer Gregg Bigda will be suspended for five days after being arrested on drunken driving charges over the weekend, but as MassLive’s Stephanie Barry reports, the punishment is largely symbolic, since Bigda has not been on active duty since 2018. — MassLive
Berkshire Roots sues Pittsfield over community impact fees
Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer says her city plans to “vigorously” defend itself against a lawsuit filed by cannabis retailer Berkshire Roots seeking the return of more than $400,000 in community impact fees. — Berkshire Eagle
After merger fail, Heywood Healthcare files for bankruptcy
Heywood Healthcare, which runs community hospitals in Gardner and Athol, has filed for bankruptcy protection as it tries to repair its finances. Heywood had previously explored a merger with UMass Memorial Health before the two sides said no deal could be reached earlier this year. — Worcester Business Journal
Artist wins right to stay in dune shack five more years
Artist Romolo Del Deo and his family have struck a deal with the U.S. Department of the Interior to allow him to continue leasing a dune shack at the Cape Cod National Seashore for at least five more years, ending weeks of protests over sudden eviction notices issued in May. — Cape Cod Times
Deerfield seeks support for green municipal campus from state climate chief
Officials in Deerfield detailed their plan to build a new municipal campus around a shared geothermal heating source to state Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer in the hopes of unlocking both state and federal funds for the project. —Greenfield Recorder
More Headlines
Cambridge’s low tax rates see unusual uptick without relief from free cash expected in past
Expect a knock on your door: MassHealth renewal on the line for 7 of 10 Brocktonians
Tufts University’s new president seeks to promote campus diversity, add more student housing