[SEMCO] FW: CIREC Presentation by Rep. Matt Patrick "Policy & Power: Going Green on Beacon Hill and at Home" Wednesday, October 17, 2007

[Muller, Joan (DCR)]

Rep. Matt Patrick to Offer Insight on State Energy Policy Developments; 

Panel Discussion to Address Green Power Options

 

"Policy & Power: Going Green on Beacon Hill and at Home"

Wednesday, October 17, 7 to 9 pm 

Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, Bourne

 

Rep. Matt Patrick, energy innovator and state policymaker, is featured
speaker at the October 17 meeting of the Cape & Islands Renewable Energy
Collaborative (CIREC) at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
in Bourne. He will provide an insider's perspective on the status of
proposed energy policies aimed at increasing reliance on renewable
resources in Massachusetts. His presentation will lead in to a panel
discussion on existing green power options and novel products that may
become available in the future. The meeting, from 7 to 9 pm, is free and
open to the public; light refreshments will be served.

 

"Governor Deval Patrick and the state legislature have made energy
policy a priority, but the fate of net metering and other reforms needed
to unlock the potential of solar, wind, and other options is not yet
clear," says Megan Amsler, executive director, Cape & Islands
Self-Reliance. "This meeting will help shine some light on the
legislative process, as well as highlight actions local residents can
take right now to support renewable energy."

 

Rep. Matt Patrick is state representative from the 3rd Barnstable
District. For the 2007-08 legislative session, he filed a dozen
energy-related bills, three of which have been rolled into omnibus
legislation. His leadership on energy issues on Beacon Hill and Cape Cod
stretches back 2 decades. As state representative, he has pushed to
create energy efficiency standards, increase demand for renewable
energy, and address the effects of rising energy costs. Previously, as
executive director of Cape & Islands Self-Reliance and a Falmouth
selectman, he helped establish locally controlled energy efficiency and
aggregation programs and spurred creation of the Cape Light Compact. 

 

The panel discussion will address green power options available from the
Compact and Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance, as well as green
products proposed by NStar that would be based on long-term contracts
with wind energy projects in upstate New York and Maine. NStar's
approach, currently under review by the Massachusetts Department of
Public Utilities, is facing opposition from competitive power suppliers
and other industry groups. 

 

"Consumers overwhelmingly support renewable energy yet few actually
enroll in green power purchasing programs, which aren't expensive but
can be confusing," notes Chris Powicki, principal of Water Energy &
Ecology Information Services. "This panel discussion will illuminate
distinctions among current and proposed green power products, explore
the opposition to NStar's approach, and encourage local consumers to go
green."

 

The meeting will conclude with Q&A and time for conversation and
networking. Information will be available on CIREC membership and on
local clean energy programs and activities. 

 

For meeting information contact Chris Powicki, 508.362.9599,
chrisp at weeinfo.com. For information on other upcoming events, check out
the Sustainable Energy Calendar at www.cigogreen.org
<http://www.cigogreen.org/> .  

 

 

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