Before I went into the ISO-NE Board Meeting in the Seaport Hotel – the only one they hold in public each year – I discovered that in 2018, the energy facilities producing electricity for ISO to distribute produced 34 million tons of carbon dioxide. Five years later, in 2022, ISO energy facilities once again generated 34 million tons of carbon dioxide. In an era of rising alarm over climate change, it struck me that we are not making much PROGRESS.
As with the FERC meeting in June of this year, there was a sense of unreality at the Board meeting. The middle part of the event was a detailed, charts-and-graphs-with-tiny-letters filled presentation. They were discussing a scenario where, if you have 90% renewables powering your grid in 2040, what is the best back-up energy source for times of peak power demand. I confess, with ISO not having 10% renewables in its system right now, it really didn’t seem like a pressing problem.
The disconnect from glum reality was even more glaring during the public comment period that followed. Speaker after speaker begged, pleaded, and implored the Board to get off their ass and add renewables to the grid now. Each speaker brought up one or more ways they could change the resource mix quickly. Each speaker was eloquent about the climate crisis we are falling into.
Another theme of the speakers was that the Board needs to have more members from the public, echoing Fix the Grid’s demand that the Governor of each New England state have the authority to appoint a representative to the Board. Another theme was transparency, all ISO Board meetings should be open to the public and the press.
Here is the problem: ISO-NE is not a private club, with board members discussing tee times and types of drinks at the bar. It is a vital public institution, discussions must be deeply thought out, and all meetings should be open to the public. However, I must say that the speakers from the Consumer Liaison Group and Fix the Grid seemed much more intelligent than the individuals sitting on the Board. Board member comments made them sound like a bunch of Yes Men, (the women, too) ready to back up the boss – that well-known promoter of natural gas, ISO President Gordon van Welie.
All and all, our glimpse into the workings of the ISO-NE Board of Directors revealed that they do not think that the climate crisis is urgent; ISO excels at spending 18 months on detailed engineering reports; the Board takes its cues from the staff; and the atmosphere is likely to annually receive 30 million tons or more of carbon dioxide from our grid well into the 2030s.
Time to tip over the table and play a different game.
By Monte Pearson
Report on the November 1, 2023 ISO-NE Board Meeting
Before I went into the ISO-NE Board Meeting in the Seaport Hotel – the only one they hold in public each year – I discovered that in 2018, the energy facilities producing electricity for ISO to distribute produced 34 million tons of carbon dioxide. Five years later, in 2022, ISO energy facilities once again generated 34 million tons of carbon dioxide. In an era of rising alarm over climate change, it struck me that we are not making much PROGRESS.
As with the FERC meeting in June of this year, there was a sense of unreality at the Board meeting. The middle part of the event was a detailed, charts-and-graphs-with-tiny-letters filled presentation. They were discussing a scenario where, if you have 90% renewables powering your grid in 2040, what is the best back-up energy source for times of peak power demand. I confess, with ISO not having 10% renewables in its system right now, it really didn’t seem like a pressing problem.
The disconnect from glum reality was even more glaring during the public comment period that followed. Speaker after speaker begged, pleaded, and implored the Board to get off their ass and add renewables to the grid now. Each speaker brought up one or more ways they could change the resource mix quickly. Each speaker was eloquent about the climate crisis we are falling into.
Another theme of the speakers was that the Board needs to have more members from the public, echoing Fix the Grid’s demand that the Governor of each New England state have the authority to appoint a representative to the Board. Another theme was transparency, all ISO Board meetings should be open to the public and the press.
Here is the problem: ISO-NE is not a private club, with board members discussing tee times and types of drinks at the bar. It is a vital public institution, discussions must be deeply thought out, and all meetings should be open to the public. However, I must say that the speakers from the Consumer Liaison Group and Fix the Grid seemed much more intelligent than the individuals sitting on the Board. Board member comments made them sound like a bunch of Yes Men, (the women, too) ready to back up the boss – that well-known promoter of natural gas, ISO President Gordon van Welie.
All and all, our glimpse into the workings of the ISO-NE Board of Directors revealed that they do not think that the climate crisis is urgent; ISO excels at spending 18 months on detailed engineering reports; the Board takes its cues from the staff; and the atmosphere is likely to annually receive 30 million tons or more of carbon dioxide from our grid well into the 2030s.
Time to tip over the table and play a different game.
By Monte Pearson