New England is paying a big price for the political correctness and NIMBYIsm of Massachusetts and the demagoguery of its pols, not to mention New York’s.

New England has become heavily dependent on low cost natural gas, which accounts for about half of its power generation as the region has retired many of its coal and nuclear plants. However, because of a lack of pipeline infrastructure, New England has difficulty getting sufficient supplies of natural gas from nearby areas, such as the Marcellus Shale formation, especially during the winter months. This past winter, the region had to use dual-fuel power plants, consuming about 2 million barrels of oil during January’s deep freeze, which is over twice the oil consumed in 2016, according to the Independent System Operator for New England.

Because the demand for natural gas is growing faster than the infrastructure to deliver it to the region is, electricity prices will need to increase. As it is, the six New England states have the highest regional electricity rates in the lower 48 states—53 percent above the national average. If the infrastructure constraints remain in place, electricity consumers can expect a good deal of price volatility during the winter months.

Read more:

http://naturalgasnow.org/price-new-england-political-correctness-nimbyism/