Get greener & cheaper electricity in Boston

Also: Why is Market Basket so popular?; Massachusetts' new coastal climate strategy [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  November 29, 2023 🌥️ Increasingly cloudy, with a high near 38. Good Morning Boston, It may not be December yet, but it [sure feels like it]( this morning. Before you start eyeing [the ski reports]( let's get to the news: - Want to save on your electric bill this winter? Boston officials are encouraging residents to switch to the city's electricity program. It's called [Community Choice Electricity]( a [municipal aggregation program]( in which the city purchases electricity in bulk from the supplier. The program's new rates lock in for two years next month. And according to Boston officials, there's two big selling points: It's now both greener and — for at least seven months — cheaper. - How it's greener: The BCCE program offers three options, with varying rates and levels of energy from renewable sources like wind and solar. The cheapest, Optional Basic, includes 24% renewable energy; the default Standard option includes 34%; and the more expensive, Optional Green 100, is 100% renewable. (For comparison, Eversource's basic service provides 22% renewable energy.) - How it's cheaper: All three BCCE plans also cost less than the rate for Eversource customers through at least next July. (This wasn't [always the case]( According to the city, the average BCCE customers on the Standard plan would save $15 a month over that time period. (BCCE rates could be cheaper beyond next July, though officials can't guarantee it since utilities change their rates twice a year.) - How to sign up: Boston has [a guide]( for residents interested in switching to a BCCE plan. It's pretty simple for Eversource Basic Service customers: Just start by filling out [this form](. - Residents who have signed a contract with [a third-party electric supplier]( will probably need to call up the supplier directly and check if their contract has termination fees (and if they can be waived). Boston has more info on the steps [here](. - Zoom out: Boston isn't the only one doing this. There are 175 cities and towns in Massachusetts with municipal aggregation programs. [Click here for the full list](. There are also others hoping to launch similar programs, but the towns say [they're being delayed by red tape](. - Gov. Maura Healey announced yesterday that she’s creating a new position to oversee the state’s response to climate change along the coast. WBUR's Barbara Moran reports the new "chief coastal resilience officer" — a yet-to-be-hired person within the state's Office of Coastal Zone Management — will work with communities to develop long-term solutions for flooding and sea-level rise. - Why it matters: Massachusetts is expected to face about [over a foot of sea level rise]( in the next few decades. With the new position, Healey is trying to get the state’s 78 different coastal communities to work together on the issue to address impacts like storm surges and erosion — something that hasn’t been done before. It's part of [a new strategy dubbed "ResilientCoasts."]( - What's next: Healey's administration has posted [the job opening]( with the hopes of kicking off interviews in December. According to a spokesperson, they expect the new chief coastal resilience officer will begin work by early 2024. - The decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth could now take until 2035. The plant's owner, Holtec, has announced yesterday its second four-year delay since May. - WCAI's Jennette Barnes [reports]( the delay could have big implications for the contentious disposal of radioactive water in the plant. That's because the water and its contaminants could evaporate into the air before 2035 even arrives. - State regulators [recently denied Holtec's request]( to discharge the water into Cape Cod Bay. However, people on both sides say that human exposure to [radioactive tritium]( would be higher from evaporation than from discharging the water into the bay. - Cambridge's proposed ban on gas-powered leaf-blowers is moving forward. After a hearing Monday, the Boston Herald [reports]( the Cambridge City Council's Ordinance Committee voted to advance the measure yesterday. The full City Council is expected to vote on the proposal by the end of the year. - If passed, residents would only be allowed to use electric leaf blowers starting in 2025. The Ordinance Committee also voted to move up the start date of the ban on gas leaf blowers for businesses and municipal uses from 2027 to 2026. P.S.— Harvard plans to offer a new class this spring centered around (who else?) Taylor Swift. [According to the course description]( the class will focus on Swift's progression as a songwriter, her influences and fan culture. We can only assume Harvard Swifties are [ready for it](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  The Rundown [A mellow holiday shopping vibe in Boston, as online sales surge nationally]( More and more holiday shopping is done from the comfort of consumers' homes, but Black Friday traditions aren't dying out just yet. [Read more.]( [A mellow holiday shopping vibe in Boston, as online sales surge nationally]( More and more holiday shopping is done from the comfort of consumers' homes, but Black Friday traditions aren't dying out just yet. [Read more.]( [Where the Republican presidential candidates stand on Israel, Ukraine and China]( Foreign policy doesn't always make headlines in presidential campaigns, but with the U.S. involved in two foreign wars — and facing a rising adversary in China, voters are paying more attention. [Read more.]( [Where the Republican presidential candidates stand on Israel, Ukraine and China]( Foreign policy doesn't always make headlines in presidential campaigns, but with the U.S. involved in two foreign wars — and facing a rising adversary in China, voters are paying more attention. [Read more.]( [U.S. life expectancy starts to recover after sharp pandemic decline]( A CDC analysis of 2022 data finds that U.S. life expectancy is improving after being knocked backwards during the COVID emergency. But it's still lower than it was pre-pandemic. [Read more.]( [U.S. life expectancy starts to recover after sharp pandemic decline]( A CDC analysis of 2022 data finds that U.S. life expectancy is improving after being knocked backwards during the COVID emergency. But it's still lower than it was pre-pandemic. [Read more.]( [88,000 people dropped from MassHealth in October]( October saw the largest monthly decline in MassHealth coverage yet in the year-long effort to reassess eligibility for 2.4 million members. Most of those losing coverage to date have been dumped for procedural reasons. [Read more.]( [88,000 people dropped from MassHealth in October]( October saw the largest monthly decline in MassHealth coverage yet in the year-long effort to reassess eligibility for 2.4 million members. Most of those losing coverage to date have been dumped for procedural reasons. [Read more.]( [3 climate impacts the U.S. will see if warming goes beyond 1.5 degrees]( Climate science shows that beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, impacts in the U.S. get substantially worse. The world is on track for almost double that level of warming by the end of the century. [Read more.]( [3 climate impacts the U.S. will see if warming goes beyond 1.5 degrees]( Climate science shows that beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, impacts in the U.S. get substantially worse. The world is on track for almost double that level of warming by the end of the century. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - After spending Thanksgiving on Nantucket, President Joe Biden is [returning to Massachusetts next week for a concert fundraiser]( in Boston featuring singer-songwriter James Taylor. - The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield is [repatriating the remains of two Native people]( — believed to be an adult and adolescent — to the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians. - For men, making and keeping meaningful friendships can seem to get more difficult as each year passes in their lives. Worcester-based journalist Kevin Koczwara [writes in this commentary]( that all that changed for him when he started playing darts.  What We're Reading 📚 - Mars Needs Insects ([The New York Times]( - Electric heat costs way less than reports say, new data suggests ([The Guardian]( - When Your Own Book Gets Caught Up in the Censorship Wars ([The New Yorker](  🔎 Field Guide To Boston [Cheap eats and family beef: Why Market Basket's a whole thing in Greater Boston]( Perhaps no Boston-area retailer invokes fiercer loyalty among its customers than Market Basket. If you’re a regular, the bright-red and white sign is a beacon for bargains. Fans of Market Basket swear by the low prices and friendly service, but the loyalty goes deeper than a weekly shopping trip. [Read more.]( [Cheap eats and family beef: Why Market Basket's a whole thing in Greater Boston]( Perhaps no Boston-area retailer invokes fiercer loyalty among its customers than Market Basket. If you’re a regular, the bright-red and white sign is a beacon for bargains. Fans of Market Basket swear by the low prices and friendly service, but the loyalty goes deeper than a weekly shopping trip. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common explains the rise of apartment application fees — and [which ones might be illegal](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [You can't spell "'tis the season" without the T.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. 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