Next Steps for Massachusetts Peaker Power Plants
August 07, 2026
In March 2024, the Healey-Driscoll Administration established the nation’s first Office of Energy Transformation (OET)[1], accelerating the energy transformation required for the Commonwealth to reach its 2050 climate targets. An Advisory Board (ETAB) and three working groups were established with clear workplans and timelines: Financing the Transition (FTT); Decarbonizing the Peak (DTP); and Everett Marine Terminal (EMT). A fourth was added later, Enabling Sustainable Economic Development. The DTP Working Group focused on decarbonizing how we meet peak electric demand by showing pathways to reducing reliance on and eliminating fossil fuels from peaking power plants and deploying alternative demand and supply options to meet peak load needs. Findings and recommendations from the DTP, FTT, and EMT Working Groups were presented at the ETAB meeting in June 2026. This blogpost summarizes some useful information about peaker plants including what they are and why they are used, why they are important to decarbonization, what fuels they use, where they are in Massachusetts, why the DTP was set up, the DTP preliminary recommendations, and next steps.
What are peaker plants, and why are they used?
Peaker power plants enable grid reliability by supplying energy at “peak” times – during periods of high electricity demand when the electric grid is stressed. Peaks vary depending on weather, time of year, and consumer behavior. Currently, peak demand in New England occurs during the summer when more electricity is used to cool buildings, but by 2050, peak demand is expected to shift to winter mornings and evenings with a longer duration and more demand than the current peak[2].
Peaker plants are more expensive to run and less efficient than other types of plants. They are designed to turn on and off quickly, . . .
Event Recap: Land Use and Development Advisory Committee August 4
August 06, 2026
The Land Use Advisory Committee met on August 4 for a presentation and discussion of the City of Boston Office to Residential Conversion Program and for a presentation by ABC staff and summer interns on development and transportation projects in Everett and Charlestown described in detail in the May 2026 edition of this report.
John Weil, who heads the Office to Residential Conversion program for the City of Boston, reported on activities since the program was launched in October 2023. At present, 28 projects are in the pipeline or have been completed, mostly in Downtown, but with some projects underway in the neighborhoods as well. The program aims to support several goals:
- Bring new life to vacant Class B and C office space
- Create much needed housing downtown
- Build a more vibrant urban core
- Improve sustainability and eco-friendly development
The incentives that help the program to work are a 29-year 75% residential tax abatement and as-of-right zoning for change of use, where applicable. Fast tracking the Article 80 review and permitting process saves time and money. The program aims to support student and workforce housing.
The 28 projects include 35 buildings, 1,853 units of housing, and about 3,500 new people living Downtown. Three hundred twenty-one units are expected to be delivered by the end of this year. This progress is supported by an expedited approval process that includes a preliminary Planning Department review, interagency joint review, and approvals and permitting to be accomplished in about six months rather than over 18 months in expedited approvals. The key elements of this process are identifying project issues up front, and designating one point person from each department. The program uses a weekly tracking system on the status of all projects.
Discussion after the presentation spotlighted the potential of this model for expediting the entire . . .
Event Recap: A Better City, City of Boston, & U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Briefing
August 03, 2026
On Thursday, April 23, A Better City hosted a briefing with the City of Boston and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the draft
Update on Massachusetts Ballot Questions
July 27, 2026
The ballot initiative petition process for 2026 is now complete and this November voters in Massachusetts can vote on nine official state ballot questions. On July 17th, the Secretary of State certified nine questions that have met all the requirements related to gathering signatures, eligibility, and in some cases, weathered legal challenges.
The table below summarizes the questions that will appear on this Novembers ballot:
As a reminder, the following three questions were previously removed from the ballot during this process:
At the May 20, 2026, A Better City Board Meeting, the Board of Directors voted to formally oppose the rent control ballot question, and to monitor the income tax question—but both of those ballot questions were removed from the ballot by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). At the request of the A Better City Executive Committee, we also presented a deeper dive into two remaining ballot questions that may relate to A Better City’s mandate: Allowing Single-Family Homes on Smaller Lots and Limiting State Tax Collection Growth and Returning Surpluses to Taxpayers.
Deeper Dive on Question 5: State Revenue Limit & Rebate
According to CommonWealth Beacon: “The [business-backed] coalition behind the income tax change is also pushing a second fiscal question, this one targeting the state’s tax collection cap. The proposal would tweak a law enacted by voters in 1986, known as Chapter 62F, which requires . . .
Event Recap: A Better City Legislative Briefing
July 23, 2026
On Monday July 20, A Better City hosted a virtual Legislative briefing to update our members on the latest happening at the State House. This briefing was led by Tom Ryan, A Better City's Senior Advisor on Policy, Government and Community Affairs.
We began with a reminder on the nine ballot questions that will go before the voters this November. Then provided a detailed look at the major policies and proposed legislation that are advancing this legislative session, including the Economic Development Bill, the impact of the FY27 State Budget, and plans to offset federal cuts to higher education research programs. Scott Mullen, our TDM Director, jumped in with some updates on "The Ride Safe Act" which would address oversight, device classification, and safety requirements around micromobility. Lastly Isabella Gambill, Assistant Director of Climate, Energy & Resilience explained the key issues in the House and Senate versions of both the Energy Affordability Bill and the Environmental Bond Bill.
You can review full slides here, and as always please reach out with any . . .
Testimony: June MassDOT Board Meeting
June 25, 2026
On June 17, Tom Ryan provided testimony to the MassDOT Board of Directors in support of the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project. Please see the complete testimony below and reach out to Tom Ryan with any questions.
Secretary Phil Eng and members of the MassDOT Board,
My name is Tom Ryan, and I am a Senior Advisor at A Better City. I am here today to testify about the Draft FY27–31 MassDOT Capital Investment Plan (CIP).
A Better City understands this draft CIP cannot address every need and challenge in our statewide transportation system. But we believe there is one project that deserves additional funding capacity in the final five-year CIP: the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project. It is important that MassDOT adjusts the CIP for years FY27–31 so you can properly move forward on the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project.
The I-90 Allston Multimodal Project (AMP) is one of the most transformative public infrastructure investments in New England. It is not just a transportation project that improves the roadways and increases public transit. It is a community building and economic development project and delivers many housing and environmental benefits. No other state infrastructure project can produce this level of impact across multiple policy goals.
Unfortunately, the draft FY27–31 CIP does not properly budget enough funding to allow it to move into construction within the next five years. Also, these numbers in the draft plan are inconsistent with many public statements of support for the project from the Healey-Driscoll Administration.
I understand MassDOT is considering an engineering review of the project after the loss of the federal infrastructure grant in 2025. That process is separate from what MassDOT put into the budget documents for the next five years. . . .
June Legislative Update
June 24, 2026
Fair Share Surtax Supplemental Delivers for MBTA
On June 12, Governor Healey signed the “Fair Share surtax” supplemental budget that provides more than $600 million to the MBTA. This bill, which has been a top A Better City priority, is another major victory for public transit and how the state elected officials are spending the surtax funding. This bill represents the second year in a row where the legislature passed a supplemental budget that spends a larger percentage of the Fair Share surtax on transportation than on education programs, bringing the overall split closer to 50/50—transportation will receive 58%, and education will receive 42%
The funding in this bill will support public transit throughout the Commonwealth, as there are line items for both the MBTA and Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs). Highlights include:
- $1.35 billion of spending from the Fair Share surtax reserve funds
- $620 million to support the MBTA’s operating budget, means-tested fare program, infrastructure maintenance, water ferry service, and increases to MBTA reserve funds
- $101 million to support municipal government’s costs for snow and ice removal last winter
- Smaller line items for municipal transportation projects throughout the state, funding to address unpaved roads, and last-mile innovation grants administered by MassDOT
This bill also contains several statutory changes, including:
- The creation of a new sales tax exemption for materials used in the construction of affordable, moderate income, and middle-income housing projects.
- Language that would delay Massachusetts’ conformity to some federal tax policy changes in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), but also permanently decouple from these tax credits and if the ballot question to reduce the state income from 5% to 4% tax passes this fall.
You . . .
Event Recap: Better City’s Commuter Rail Modernization Roundtable Event
June 23, 2026
A Better City was honored to host the MBTA’s first external meeting on their Rail Modernization plans, which included many of our members. The MBTA leadership team of Mike Muller, Laura Gilmore, and Lynsey Heffernan presented their current strategy for advancing this multi-year initiative before answering questions from the audience.
The MBTA team explained that the top four priorities for the Rail Modernization plan are service frequency, reliability, accessibility, and decarbonization.
2019 MBTA Rail Vision – The Building Blocks
These priorities emerge as the MBTA is now looking to build upon the findings from the 2019 MBTA Rail Vision study and adapt to current conditions. When it was released, Rail Vision acted as the first step in reframing existing commuter rail service that primarily is focused on peak commute times in the morning and later afternoon into an upgraded “regional rail system” that operates with more service options throughout the entire day. This would offer greater mobility options throughout the region . . .
Event Recap: Value of Shade Webinar
June 23, 2026
On Monday, May 11th, A Better City’s Extreme Heat Working Group co-hosted a “Value of Shade” webinar with the Community Adaptations to City Heat (CATCH) project, to provide an update on what the City of Boston is doing to enhance permanent, semi-permanent, and pop-up shade structures across heat island neighborhoods, as well as to share shade monitoring results from the B-COOL team’s summer 2025 shade monitoring.
Office of Climate Resilience Update: Shade Initiatives in Boston
As Zoë Davis shared, shade is one of the most effective ways to enhance personal cooling, and to contribute to an overall cooler built environment. Strategies to increase shade on municipal and other sites across the city include:
- Pop-up misting tents: These were initially developed during COVID-19 quarantine, when we were in a moment of being able to safely gather outside but not inside. The City helped to provide pop-up misting tents to community-based organizations, as well as for emergency response efforts via the Office of Emergency Management.
- Outdoor Cooling Guide: This resource is for anyone, especially organizations and provides useful information about how you can have a tent, get a perforated hose from Lowe’s, etc. The resource is designed to be accessible, not fancy.
- Outdoor Cool Spaces: These spaces serve as outdoor living rooms on municipal sites like libraries , community centers, and Boston Center for Youth and Families locations. Many of these locations also serve as cooling centers. Having spaces for people to work remotely, do homework, run around and play, sit in the shade, and cool off in the mist serve as transitional . . .
A Better City Welcomes Summer 2026 Interns
June 15, 2026
This summer, A Better City is excited to welcome five 2026 interns to our team! They represent a variety of backgrounds and schools across Massachusetts: Boston University, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and Williams College. They have hit the ground running, and we look forward to sharing their work at the end of the summer. Please say hello if you see them around our offices or at an upcoming event!
You can learn more about each intern below:
Carson Douglas joins A Better City through the Boston University LaunchPad Program. A rising sophomore majoring in Behavior and Health at Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Carson is originally from Brooklyn, New York, and enjoys playing basketball and meeting new people. He is deeply passionate about sports science and athletic training, with aspirations to become a sports physical therapist and, eventually, a strength and conditioning coach for an NBA team or professional league. While he possesses clarity regarding his chosen career path, Carson remains highly open-minded toward exploring other fields and connecting with a diverse range of professionals throughout his journey.
Joanna Gentle joins A Better City through the Williams College Alumni Sponsored Internship Program. Joanna is a rising junior at Williams College, where she is double majoring in Psychology and Political Science because of her interests in the intersections of social psychology and public policy. Originally from Norwalk, Connecticut, Joanna has enjoyed the potential connection to urban areas that effective transportation and urban planning provides. At Williams she is a leader of the Transport Hub and of the Route 2 Passenger Rail project which advocates for the restoration of a rail line . . .
