New England's power grid operator has stifled the region's clean energy transition for years. Public pressure is key to making them change their tone.

• Author: Narayanan, Rishya

In fact, the ISO actively works to keep us dependent on fossil fuels. While it professes to represent the public interest, it has ignored public calls for and state laws mandating large-scale clean energy. It also has acted with complete disregard for the science that demands we end our use of climate-damaging fuels like natural gas on our power grid.

Combining Advocacy and Public Pressure

As energy experts, CLF advocates have been allowed into the ISO's inner circles for years, working behind the scenes to break down the barriers to clean energy the grid operator has built. Our work was pivotal in pushing every New England state to urge the grid operator to formally integrate the consideration of climate change into its mission and operations.

But ISO New England's push for more natural gas has remained relentless. Over the past 20 years, the region has grown more dependent on the polluting fuel for both heat and electricity. For almost as long, the ISO has called on New Englanders to build more gas pipelines and power plants, claiming that without them we risk rolling blackouts on the coldest days of the year when the region's gas supply won't be able to keep up with demand for both heat and power.

The ISO has pulled out these scare tactics year after year at the start of every winter, using the media as a bully pulpit to justify its own policies that put clean energy sources at a competitive price disadvantage compared to fossil fuels. "The reality is that we have never had rolling blackouts and the chances are slim that we ever will," says CLF's Turner. "The ISO's rhetoric is not only misleading but also unproductive. It's their way of shielding themselves from criticism of their slow response to the climate crisis."

Frustrated by the ISO's continued hyperbole, this past year, CLF launched a media campaign to spotlight the grid operator's pro-gas tactics. In nine op-eds published throughout the region, we called out the ISO for its climate negligence and fearmongering. Our goal was to turn the tables on its rhetoric using the same media outlets that the ISO had effectively exploited for more than a decade. The grid operator attempted to discredit our criticisms, but its...