Miriam Wasser
@miriamwasser.bsky.social
Climate and energy reporter for WBUR, Boston's NPR. Email: MRWASSER@bu.edu Signal: Miriam_Wasser.47 https://www.wbur.org/inside/staff/miriam-wasser
I'm hoping to speak with some Massachusetts residents who use heating oil and are worried about the cost of heating their homes this winter. I've had a few great responses, but I'm looking for me. Please help me spread the word! Thanks wburhomeheating.paperform.co
Are you anxious about home heating costs this winter?
Do you live in Massachusetts and heat your home with heating oil? Are you feeling anxious about prices this winter? We want to talk with you.
wburhomeheating.paperform.co
Worried about your heating oil costs heading into winter? My colleague @miriamwasser.bsky.social wants to talk to you! wburhomeheating.paperform.co
Are you anxious about home heating costs this winter?
Do you live in Massachusetts and heat your home with heating oil? Are you feeling anxious about prices this winter? We want to talk with you.
wburhomeheating.paperform.co
JUST IN: Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova announce they've reached a settlement in their contract dispute about the Vineyard Wind project. The disagreement stems from a 2024 incident when one of the GE-made blades broke on a non-operational turbine. Statement below👇 #offshorewind
Hey! Do you live in Massachusetts and heat your home with heating oil? Are you feeling anxious about prices this winter? Are you weighing whether to fill now, whether to lock in a rate, etc? If so, I'd love to talk to you for a story. Email me, please: MRWASSER@bu.edu Thanks!
Massachusetts utilities Eversource, National Grid and Unitil allege that Hydro-Quebec stopped delivering electricity over the New England Clean Energy Connect line just a few days after it went into operation this January.
Maine power line interruptions spark legal battle between Hydro Quebec, Mass. utilities
Massachusetts utilities Eversource, National Grid and Unitil allege that Hydro-Quebec stopped delivering electricity over the New England Clean Energy Connect line just a few days after it went into operation this January. But Hydro-Quebec, in its own suit, said electric needs in the province during a deep freeze required it to suspend service on the transmission line.
trib.al
ICYMI, my latest feature for WBUR goes inside the smart meter roll out in Massachusetts. There are supporters and there are skeptics.... #energysky
WBUR@wbur.org · 3w agoAcross Massachusetts, utilities are replacing millions of electric meters on homes and businesses with smart meters. They provide a lot more detail about electricity use, but not everyone is thrilled about the new tech.
In MA, utilities are installing SMART electric meters, which track usage in near real-time and will enable time-of-use rates in the future While most of the country has had smart meters for years, there's still a lot of skepticism here @wbur.org #energysky www.wbur.org/news/2026/09...
Electric meters in Mass. are getting a 'smart' upgrade
Across Massachusetts, utilities are replacing millions of electric meters on homes and businesses with smart meters. They provide a lot more detail about electricity use, but not everyone is thrilled ...
wbur.org
Great read from @miriamwasser.bsky.social on the excitement (and suspicion) around the rollout of smart meters in Massachusetts www.wbur.org/news/2026/09... @wbur.org
Electric meters in Mass. are getting a 'smart' upgrade
Across Massachusetts, utilities are replacing millions of electric meters on homes and businesses with smart meters. They provide a lot more detail about electricity use, but not everyone is thrilled ...
wbur.org
A developer canceled a battery project in Massachusetts after learning it'd have to pay $65 MILLION to connect to the grid. Clean energy advocates say exorbitant interconnection fees pose a huge challenge to the state's clean energy goals www.wbur.org/news/2026/09... #energysky @wbur.org
What a canceled battery project in Tewksbury says about New England's aging power grid
While many residents are celebrating the project's cancellation, clean energy advocates say it highlights a big barrier to clean energy development: exorbitant interconnection fees.
wbur.org
Residents of Lowell, MA, will be in court today to ask a judge to temporarily pause construction on a data center that's LITERALLY in their backyard They allege state regulators violated EJ laws by signing off on a plan to put 27 diesel generators on the site www.wbur.org/news/2026/07... @wbur.org
Residents want a judge to pause Lowell data center expansion
The residents are expected to argue that state environmental regulators violated the law and their statutory authority when they allowed the Markley data center to add more diesel generators on the pr...
wbur.org
Florida woman arrested by ICE at Logan after Noah Kahan concert and held in 'tough' conditions at Burlington for 10 days - finally ordered released @wbur.org @miriamwasser.bsky.social www.wbur.org/news/2026/07...
Woman arrested at Logan after Noah Kahan concert ordered released from Burlington ICE facility
Maria Rosales, a 32-year-old Florida resident, said she is enduring "tough" and "uncomfortable" conditions similar to those reported over the last year by other Burlington detainees, and which have dr...
wbur.org
"We have to beg for water" "We've been in the same clothes for weeks" "The room is extremely hot with all those bodies in a tiny cell" These are just some of the conditions Maria Rosales said she endured in the Burlington ICE field office www.wbur.org/news/2026/07... @wbur.org @pressley.house.gov
Woman arrested at Logan after Noah Kahan concert ordered released from Burlington ICE facility
Maria Rosales, a 32-year-old Florida resident, said she is enduring "tough" and "uncomfortable" conditions similar to those reported over the last year by other Burlington detainees, and which have dr...
wbur.org
Maria Rosales came to Boston for a @noahkahan.bsky.social concert Though she had a DACA-renewal pending, ICE agents arrested her and held her in a local field office for 10 days. She had to beg for water, she said. A judge ordered her release today www.wbur.org/news/2026/07... @wbur.org
Woman arrested at Logan after Noah Kahan concert ordered released from Burlington ICE facility
Maria Rosales, a 32-year-old Florida resident, said she is enduring "tough" and "uncomfortable" conditions similar to those reported over the last year by other Burlington detainees, and which have dr...
wbur.org
Another example of how climate delay undermines climate solutions, making it harder to mitigate and adapt as the planet warms. *There are two here, actually: the burning forests (which could be absorbing carbon instead of releasing it) and the solar panels made less effective by their smoke.
Miriam Wasser@miriamwasser.bsky.social · 2mo agoAt times, the wildfire smoke dampened New England solar production so much, it was akin to taking the region's largest nuclear power plant offline. @wbur.org #wildfiresmoke #energysky www.wbur.org/news/2026/07...
At times, the wildfire smoke dampened New England solar production so much, it was akin to taking the region's largest nuclear power plant offline. @wbur.org #wildfiresmoke #energysky www.wbur.org/news/2026/07...
All that wildfire smoke sent New England's solar production plummetting
At peak hours, the solar fleet in the region produced 2,500 megawatts less than had been forecasted.
wbur.org
The wildfire smoke significantly reduced solar output in New England this week 🟠 www.wbur.org/news/2026/07... @wbur.org
All that wildfire smoke sent New England's solar production plummetting
At peak hours, the solar fleet in the region produced 2,500 megawatts less than had been forecasted.
wbur.org
Hey Massachusetts people! Do you have rooftop solar panels? I'm working on a story about how the wildfire smoke is impacting solar production, and I'd love to speak with you this morning. Email me: MRWASSER@bu.edu
This heat wave is putting a big strain on the New England electric grid. Here are some practical things you can do to help reduce electricity demand -- and why it matters for your wallet and the planet www.wbur.org/news/2026/07... @wbur.org
How to help reduce stress on New England's electric grid this week
Conserving electricity at key hours not only reduces strain on the grid -- it's good for your wallet and the planet, too
wbur.org
#Breaking: After 5 days, the Haverhill MA sewage spill into the Merrimack River has stopped. City officials have successfully set up temporary pipe to bypass the broken sewer pipe and get the wastewater to the treatment facility. www.wbur.org/news/2026/06... @wbur.org
Haverhill sewage spill into Merrimack River has stopped, but many beaches remain closed
With 8 million gallons of untreated sewage spilling into the Merrimack River, city and state officials are scrambling to stop the flow and figure out what caused the wastewater pipe to break in the fi...
wbur.org
Approx 8 million gallons of untreated wastewater (sewage) has been pouring in the Merrimack River in Haverhill since Friday. City officials don't know why the water line broke, but they say a temporary solution to stop the flow should be in place soon www.wbur.org/news/2026/06... @wbur.org
Haverhill sewage spill that closed beaches could be stopped by Wednesday night, officials say
With 8 million gallons of untreated sewage spilling into the Merrimack River, city and state officials are scrambling to stop the flow and figure out what caused the wastewater pipe to break in the fi...
wbur.org
On Friday, a large wastewater pipe ruptured during a heavy rainstorm in Haverhill, MA. Since then, an estimated 8 million gallons of untreated sewage has been flowing into the Merrimack River daily. @wbur.org
As utility bills soared over the last year and a half, people across Massachusetts have been looking for something to blame Many have landed on the state's energy efficiency program, Mass Save In my latest story for @wbur.org, I trace how that happened www.wbur.org/news/2026/06... #energysky
How an energy efficiency program in Mass. became so politicized
Energy efficiency saves money. Why is Mass Save being blamed for rising bills in Massachusetts?
wbur.org
Hey, Boston! What are you doing today?! Come join me and a fabulous panel to talk about why your utility bills are so damn high! 11 am on the BU Campus Details here: festival.wbur.org
As World Cup fans make their way to Boston from far-flung places (where they have state-of-the art transit systems), they may be surprised by the dank state of some of our busiest T stations @wbur.org @andreaperdomoh.bsky.social #mbta www.wbur.org/news/2026/05...
Welcome to Boston? Transit-savvy World Cup visitors may be surprised by the T's dingy stations
Locals are accustomed to the T’s dank conditions. But as global soccer fans make their way to Boston for the World Cup, many will come from cities with clean, state-of-the-art public transit — and may...
wbur.org
Massachusetts lawmakers are committed to tackling energy affordability this session. But there's some disagreement over what that should look like in a piece of legislation. Here are 5 important policies they're debating www.wbur.org/news/2026/05... @wbur.org #mapoli
5 energy affordability policies to watch right now in Mass.
Every two years, lawmakers in Massachusetts attempt to pass a big climate and energy bill. Here are five important policies bound to spark debate among lawmakers and the public.
wbur.org
#ICYMI: An energy company is proposing an expansion of a major gas pipeline in New England, reigniting a longstanding debate in the region about whether to bring in more natural gas. www.wbur.org/news/2026/05... @wbur.org #energysky
Energy company proposes big natural gas pipeline expansion in New England
The Canadian energy giant, Enbridge, is proposing a major pipeline expansion in New England.
wbur.org
#NEW: Enbridge is proposing a major gas pipeline expansion in New England. A similar proposal in 2023 fizzled, but the affordability politics of 2026 are quite different... www.wbur.org/news/2026/05... #energysky @wbur.org
Energy company proposes big natural gas pipeline expansion in New England
The Canadian energy giant, Enbridge, is proposing a major pipeline expansion in New England.
wbur.org
TONIGHT in Harvard Square! Let's talk about Massachusetts' climate progress: What's working, what's stalling, and where we go from here. I hope you can come!! www.firstparishcambridge.org/events/state...
State and Local Climate Progress: Where Do We Go From Here? — First Parish in Cambridge
Massachusetts and Cambridge both have plans to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions - with a goal of 50% reduction (from a 1990 baseline) for 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. Both the stat...
firstparishcambridge.org
I'm moderating a panel discussion tomorrow (Tuesday) evening in Harvard Square about Massachusetts' climate progress Come one, come all! 🎉 www.firstparishcambridge.org/events/state... @wbur.org @masseea.bsky.social @sierraclubma.bsky.social #mapoli
State and Local Climate Progress: Where Do We Go From Here? — First Parish in Cambridge
Massachusetts and Cambridge both have plans to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions - with a goal of 50% reduction (from a 1990 baseline) for 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. Both the stat...
firstparishcambridge.org
