If the pundits are to be believed, we are nearing the most consequential election of our lifetimes next Tuesday. But Massachusetts made its own history this week, with the nomination of Supreme Judicial Court Justice Kimberly Budd to become the next Chief Justice, replacing the late-Chief Justice Ralph Gants. And with home prices skyrocketing, Massachusetts set another September record for median single-family home prices rising to $472,000. Before election-pocalypse gets to all of us, let’s take a look back at what caught our eye this week.

DPU Orders Utilities to Develop Plans to Phase Out Natural Gas

In order for Massachusetts to reach its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has ordered the state’s natural gas utilities to come up with plans to phase out their businesses over the next 30 years “while simultaneously safeguarding ratepayer interests; ensuring safe, reliable, and cost-effective natural gas service; and potentially recasting the role of LDCs [local distribution companies] in the Commonwealth.”

In an Oct. 29 press release, DPU Chairman Matthew Nelson said:

"As the Baker-Polito administration has committed to an aggressive goal of net zero emissions by 2050, this investigation will analyze the future role of natural gas as part of Massachusetts' energy system… The commonwealth continues to lead the nation on climate change mitigation, and this order will help assess how to best achieve deep emissions reductions while ensuring a safe, modern and cost-effective heating distribution system for Massachusetts ratepayers."

National Grid, which has 925,000 natural gas customers in Massachusetts issued this statement:

”We know this cannot be achieved by maintaining the status quo. Though we do not have all the answers, we believe our electric and gas networks, which play a vital role in the lives of our customers, can be useful in achieving net zero emissions. We are eager to collaborate on solutions and look forward to expanding on our many decarbonization initiatives in pursuit of a cleaner and fairer energy system that leaves no customer or community behind.”

The DPU said the investigation could recast the role of gas utilities in the state. And Attorney General Maura Healey, who asked the DPU to reevaluate their future plans in early June, said that the investigation is “nation-leading.”

Here are some figures related to the state’s energy supply as of this week:

68% of the region’s electricity came from plants powered by natural gas.
17% came from nuclear power
8% came from hydro
7% came from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind
51% of Massachusetts households heat their homes with natural gas
27% heat their homes with oil
15% heat their homes with electricity
3% heat their homes with bottled gas

The DPU order requests that gas utilities provide status updates on their progress on March 1 and again on September 1, 2021, and to submit proposals, recommendations, and plans for achieving state climate goals by March 1, 2022.

The Baker administration is expected to release roadmaps for achieving greenhouse gas emission targets before the end of this year.

Commonwealth Magazine has a full report.

Three Alternatives to East-West Rail Being Considered

Three alternatives to an east-west passenger rail have been proposed by Mass. officials in an attempt to speed up Springfield to Boston commutes. The three alternatives are a combination of using existing tracks and building new rails.

One of six original alternatives to build high-speed passenger rail service on the Mass Pike, was abandoned due to projected high costs.

Maureen Mullaney, Program Manager for the Franklin Regional Council of Governments Transportation and GIS called the final three alternatives are exciting and revolutionary but added that it could take “quite a while” before any of the plans come to fruition but that it will be worth the wait. A proposed high-speed passenger rail could cost several billion dollars and take a decade or more to complete and would require state, federal, and local agencies to be on board with the plan.

The proposed projects will require federal investment and partnership between the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, Massachusetts Department of Transportation and others, according to Mullaney.

Fenway Sports Group Announces Real Estate Development Plans

Fenway Sports Group Real Estate and WS Development have announced plans to redevelop four properties surrounding Fenway Park. The properties are located on Jersey, Lansdowne and Van Ness streets, and Brookline Avenue. Also being considered is a plan to build out over the Massachusetts Turnpike behind Lansdowne Street.

The developments may include housing, retail, office, and lab space, and possibly a hotel, including new office space for the Boston Red Sox organization.

Planning for the redevelopment has been ongoing for years. However, developers said that while extensive planning has begun, many details are still being considered such as cost, square footage, building heights, and the exact mix of what they intend to build.

Click here to read more on this story by Ballpark Digest.

Supreme Judicial Court Nixes Workers’ Comp for Medical Marijuana

In other SJC news, justices ruled on Tuesday that employees who use medical marijuana to treat work-related injuries cannot be reimbursed through workers’ compensation. According to the ruling, workers’ comp insurers could, in theory, be charged with a federal crime to aid or abet cannabis use.

According to the ruling by Justice Scott Kafker: “It is one thing to voluntarily assume a risk of federal prosecution, it is another to involuntarily have such a risk imposed upon you.”

Maine’s highest court issued a similar ruling two years ago. However, six states have allowed workers’ comp reimbursement to some extent: Connecticut, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York.

According to the Mass. Cannabis Control Commission, as of last year, there were more than 60,000 medical marijuana patients in the state and nearly 1.3 million ounces of cannabis were sold to medical patients.

Boston Biz Journal Posts 4-Year Recreational Cannabis Retrospective

Boston Business Journal has published a retrospective timeline of the past four years of legal recreational marijuana sales in Massachusetts. The report lists some of the highlights from the past four years of recreational marijuana sales in the state.

After four years in operation, here are some current facts about Mass. recreational marijuana:

As of Oct. 9, a total of 689 licenses have been approved in Massachusetts
268 are licensed dispensaries
The CCC has received 904 completed applications to operate in over 160 municipalities
As of Oct. 10, 77 dispensary locations have commenced operations in the state
In the past two fiscal years ending June 2020, the state collected $122 million in taxes (far below expectations)
Of the 900-plus applicants only 42 identified as women-owned and 73 identified as minority-owned
Only 67 social equity participants and 46 economic empowerment participants had submitted completed licenses

To read the full four-year retrospective visit MassLive.com.

More of the Latest Massachusetts News

The Historic Week Before Another Historic Week