New Energy Coalition Calls for In-state Generated Electricity

The Massachusetts Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (Mass AREA) is committed to finding clean, low-cost and reliable electricity solutions that foster prosperity for all of Massachusetts. Founded this month, the diverse group of 23 leaders in state businesses, labor, academia and communities is moving quickly with an agenda to address the absence of plans for major new sources of in-state power.

"This issue is about jobs and so much more," said Mass AREA founding member Gary Sullivan, President of the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) Local 369. "It's about making sure we have abundant electricity so that hard-working families no longer pay a de facto, regressive tax from high electricity costs. It's about making sure the lights stay on so that our poorest and most frail citizens are protected," he said. UWUA 369 is affiliated with the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and based in Braintree.

A wide array of organizations have recently warned of the serious electricity issues that face Massachusetts and New England, concerning high prices, potential blackouts, and an uncertain supply. These groups include the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the North American Electric Reliability Council, and ISO-New England, the nonprofit operator of the region's energy transmission grid. The Mass AREA has compiled the energy challenges facing Massachusetts on its website (link below).