Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Regional Clean Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers sign two regional clean-energy resolutions
Summary
Leaders at the 45th New England and Eastern Canadian conference in Massachusetts agreed to two joint resolutions to reconvene a Northeast energy committee and relaunch a regional environment committee, while emphasizing offshore wind supply chains and cross-border collaboration.
An unnamed Massachusetts governor opened the 45th annual New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers conference in Massachusetts and announced that participating states and provinces had "collectively agreed to 2 new resolutions" aimed at coordinating regional energy and environmental work.
The governor said the first resolution will reconvene the Northeast International Committee on Energy to pursue regional collaboration and planning. "Through the first resolution, we have agreed to reconvene the Northeast International Committee on Energy to pursue regional collaboration and planning on these and other energy issues," the governor said, announcing that the premier and the governor had signed the documents.
The second resolution, the governor said, will relaunch a Committee on Environment to apply the same regional collaboration model to climate adaptation, natural-resource protection and food security. "We also agreed to a second resolution ... to relaunch the Committee on Environment," the governor said.
Why it matters: conference leaders framed the measures as steps to align planning across New England and neighboring Canadian provinces so they can better deploy clean energy, bolster supply chains and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The governor cited a partnership with Quebec on the New England Clean Energy Connect project as an example of cross-border transmission collaboration that could ‘‘help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, help move us further away from fossil fuels, bring about lower prices for consumers and strengthen the power grid.’’
Speakers highlighted offshore wind and supply-chain investments in Massachusetts—ports in Salem and New Bedford and cable manufacturing in Somerset—as priorities to scale up regional capacity and create jobs. The governor also said states are working on decarbonization pathways for hard-to-decarbonize sectors including heavy transportation, aviation, and commercial and industrial buildings.
Premier Indu Fari of Newfoundland and Labrador, cochairing the meeting, described the region as "more than shared geography and shared resources, it truly is a family" and invited delegates to next year’s conference in Newfoundland and Labrador. She framed the summit as strategic rather than transactional and urged continued collaboration among the jurisdictions.
On economic development and climate technology, the governor said Massachusetts is positioned to be a global hub: "28 out of the top 100 climate tech companies are located here in Massachusetts," and cited an estimated return on climate-tech investment in the range of "12 to 1 or 16 to 1." The governor also noted a recent joint procurement announced with Rhode Island that includes three major offshore projects.
What comes next: leaders said the resolutions aim to establish a more consistent stream of communication among states and provinces and to pursue shared planning and implementation. The governor said Massachusetts has already put resources behind the regional teams and will continue regular meetings; Premier Indu Fari invited the group to reconvene next year in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The session closed with brief remarks and farewells.
