MEDIA RELEASE

Contacts:
Bill Ryan: 617-699-3057; bryan@pilgrim-strategies.com
CJ Chapman: 413-519-7212; cj@pilgrim-strategies.com

February 28, 2018

BOSTON:- Important new members announced their alliance with the Massachusetts Coalition for Sustainable Energy today (MCSE).

Representing major associations from a broad spectrum of Massachusetts constituencies the new members include: The Massachusetts High Technology Council, The Massachusetts Laborers District Council and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“The recently released ISO New England fuel security study is an urgent call to action for all energy users,” said Mark Gallagher, Vice President of the Massachusetts High Technology Council. “The technology sector is a cornerstone of the Commonwealth’s economy and growth strategy for the future. High energy costs have long been a burden on Massachusetts employers, but the risk of recurring power interruptions raised in the ISO report could be catastrophic to Massachusetts’ ability to compete for jobs and investment. We believe strongly that increasing our supply of clean natural gas is a critically necessary step toward solving the challenges faced by the New England power grid operator and the energy users it serves,” added Gallagher.

“The Laborers’ Union recognizes the serious issues facing the New England power grid. Our signatory contractors and skilled workforce are prepared to build the infrastructure necessary to ensure long term energy reliability in the region,” said Laborers’ New England Region Organizing Fund Director Scott Gustafson.

“The Commonwealth has made great progress in being a model for other states in addressing the challenge of climate change and using natural gas instead of oil and coal to generate power has been a major reason why,” said Tim Murray, President of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Future progress means not just avoiding use of dirty fuels in extended cold periods like we just saw but also tackling the huge challenges in electrifying large segments of our vehicle fleet; that means a lot more reliance on power generation, which means more natural gas to support that power generation,” added Murray.

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About the Mass Coalition for Sustainable Energy: The Mass Coalition for Sustainable Energy supports a responsible transition to a renewable energy future that ensures reliability and affordability, strengthens our economy, and enhances Massachusetts’ position as a leader on climate change.