Mount Wachusett Community College, with generous support from the Shannon Grant, has launched a new program aiming to connect with students and provide them with support, coaching and workshops in academic, employment, and life readiness. The program is intended for high school seniors and HiSet participants or graduates who are interested in attending MWCC in the fall for either credit degree or certificate programs, or non-credit training programs.
Once accepted into the program, students will participate in various workshops including study strategy techniques, selecting college courses, completing career assessments, building self-esteem, preparing to transition to college, college admissions procedures, and completing financial aid forms.
“Through this program, I’ll be providing coaching, accountability and training to students,” noted Senior Success Program manager, local personal growth and development specialist, and MWCC outreach counselor Maria Vazquez. “I work to make sure these students are getting what they need through the completion of their senior year, on through the summer, and into their first semester at the Mount. My goal is to ensure that they are reaching their full potential.”
Students must reside in Fitchburg, Leominster or Gardner, be a first-generation college student, and meet one or more other risk factors (low-income, single parent household, etc.) in order to be eligible. Individuals interested in the program can visit mwcc.edu/senior-success to complete the application questionnaire.
About the Shannon Grant
Funded by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research, the Charles E. Shannon Community Safety Initiative (Shannon) is modeled after the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Comprehensive Gang Model. Shannon is a multi-sector approach used to address a community’s gang and youth violence problem. Each community receiving Shannon funding demonstrates the presence of risk factors for youth and gang violence.
Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts (ASNCM), which serves as the region’s Aging Services Access Point (ASAP) is pleased to welcome three new members to its Board of Directors: Susan McCarthy, Director of the Pepperell Council on Aging; Michael Ellis, Director of the Gardner Senior Center; and Ellen Birchander, Graduate Program Director, Management of Aging Services Program, University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Lori A. Richardson, Chief Executive Officer of ASNCM commented, “We are excited to have Susan, Mike and Ellen, each a proven leader in aging services join our Board of Directors. Their unique and tremendous practical experience will support our mission of providing comprehensive information and quality services so that older people, individuals with disabilities and their families are empowered to make personalized choices to ensure a life of dignity, safety and respect.”
ASNCM is also pleased to announce the appointment of new Clerk, Jennifer Conrad. Current Board Officers include President Christine Dixon; Vice President, Peter MacDonald; Treasurer, William McSheehy; Mary Mathieu, Julie Johnson, Esq., and Donald Parker.
To learn more about the Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts—including programs and services being offered, ways you can donate or volunteer, please visit www.AgingServicesMA.org or contact David Ginisi, Chief Marketing Officer, at (978) 466-1571 or by email at .
In North Central Massachusetts, we are fortunate to have three excellent health care organizations providing quality care and services to the more than 275,000 residents who call our region home. Even with their great reputation, our region’s hospitals are experiencing challenges with staffing shortages and retention, responding to the unique needs of an aging population and providing increased mental health services, all of which are compounded with a global pandemic. But, despite these challenges, our hospitals are rising above, providing unique opportunities for recruitment and retention while investing in their facilities and giving back to their communities.
In September, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce released the results of our Regional Economic Development Plan, which placed health care as one of the top industries with a strong market to retain and expand toward the future.
“We certainly have market strength in the region,” said Steve Roach, President, HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital. “Health care is one of the most interesting business models because people will always need health care, but we are also at the mercy of an extremely tight labor market.”
Roach leads HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, a full service, acute care 163-bed community hospital serving North Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. He said the hospital is navigating the recent COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which is putting an already tight labor market to its breaking point. “We are looking at our staffing levels to ensure our nurses are performing at the top of their game and also researching alternative staffing models to provide the continuity of care the community expects and deserves from our hospital,” he added.
Nashoba Valley Medical Center employees
Even with the renovated Emergency Department opening in 2019, which resulted in a total of 42 beds up from 24 beds, Roach said the hospital is continually over capacity due to mental health cases in the emergency room waiting for a bed at another facility. “We will always be here to provide care to all of our patients, and we are working daily to resolve these challenges,” he said. “We want our patients to receive treatment and care as quickly as we can.”
Heywood Hospital is also experiencing staffing challenges; however, Winfield S. Brown, President and CEO, said the hospital has a variety of strategies in place to retain its dedicated staff and improve the overall health of the community despite the challenges from the pandemic.
A non-profit, community-owned 134-bed hospital located in Gardner, Heywood Hospital welcomed 60 new staff members in various roles in September and is also offering sign-on bonuses for certain positions. “We see health care as a growth market for the region and we are growing as a health care system while also identifying ways to improve economy and equality among our workforce,” said Brown.
In addition to being unique in size and geography, Brown said the hospital has relationships with local colleges and universities to provide development opportunities to current employees while also filling the talent pipeline for years to come. In fact, Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) partners with Heywood Hospital to provide 40 to 50 students a training ground for practicum in pharmacy and radiology technology. And, through a workforce development grant with MWCC, Heywood Hospital can have up to 20 employees who are interested in pursuing a clinical track for nursing obtain education at the college with clinical experience at the hospital.
For current employees, the hospital has a variety of strategies in place to retain staff, such as providing a robust award and recognition program and daily “huddles” for staff to check-in with each other. “We have the hardest working staff around and we need to make sure they feel appreciated, understood and heard,” said Brown. “We established a President’s Advisory Council to learn the staff’s pulse on the institution and we listen and then act to make sure our employees know we heard their feedback.”
Heywood Hospital also boasts a robust behavioral health services program, with 20 geriatric psychiatric beds and a partial outpatient program that provides up to 40 participants with mental health support. In November, the hospital received approval from the Public Health Council to begin construction of a new surgical pavilion, which will replace the existing operating room suite built in the 1960s. The pavilion will include six operating rooms, support state-of-the-art technology and provide an exceptional patient experience. “Our patients deserve first-class health care in a first-class facility,” added Brown.
Nashoba Valley Medical Center, a community hospital serving 16 communities in North Central Massachusetts, experienced tremendous growth this year as more people chose to obtain health care locally during the pandemic instead of going into the city.
Sal Perla, DrPH, President and CEO of Nashoba Valley Medical Center, said as the hospital experiences an increase in patient capacity, it is responding by growing its physician roster. “This year, we’ve expanded the Steward Medical Group in all of our locations,” said Perla. “We’ve recruited ten medical doctors this year, including a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, several new primary care physicians and several other sub-specialists.”
HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital community based initiatives
While the use of emergency room services increased by 11 percent in 2021, Perla said the hospital has the lowest wait times in the region, which he attributes to a website where those seeking care can check on current wait times in the emergency department. “We are so proud of our staff,” added Perla. “And our five-star patient satisfaction results on Google prove that we are creating sustainable care models that reinforce our dedication to quality of care.” In fact, Perla said approximately 25 percent of their patients hail from the Leominster and Fitchburg area. Perla is also thrilled to announce that Nashoba Valley Medical Center earned an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for fall 2021. This national distinction recognizes the hospital’s achievements in protecting patients from harm and error in the hospital.
With a niche in physical therapy, the medical center welcomes approximately 100 patients a day to its aquatics center in Groton for total joint replacement therapy. Recently, Nashoba Valley Medical Center was recognized with a 5-star rating for treatment of hip fracture and pneumonia outcomes by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems. Additionally, the medical center reports that its GI center is performing colonoscopies and endoscopies within 1-2 weeks of initial requests which helps in the aid of detection of early stages of cancer.
Although the Regional Economic Development Plan reported that health care offers a variety of wages, with more than half of the 17,000 region health care workers paid less than $55,000 annually, Perla said the medical center instituted a minimum wage of $15 per hour in 2019.
As the aging population continues to increase in the region, all of the hospitals stand ready to provide care and services to keep individuals at home as long as possible. Nashoba is proud to offer a 20-bed geriatric-psychiatric inpatient behavioral/medical unit which addresses higher level of care for individuals with Dementia/Alzheimer’s associated disease.
Roach said HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital is well-equipped to respond to the needs of the aging population as the hospital operates HealthAlliance Home Health & Hospice (HAHHH), which aims to keep patients in their own homes. “We can offer a level of care, comfort and compassion and are available to assist 24/7 with physical and emotional support,” added Roach. “We want our community to age in home versus aging in nursing homes.”
Perla agrees. “We are learning about the future every day,” he said. “We want to make sure people can retire and live out their years where they want to be and need to be.”
In spite of the challenges and opportunities our hospitals must face now and in the coming years, all of the hospitals remain committed as engaged members of their respective communities.
Heywood Hospital ICU Nurses
At Heywood Hospital, Brown said they are dedicated to improving the health of the community, with special consideration of disadvantaged populations, by working collaboratively with community partners to increase prevention efforts, address social determinants of health, and improve access to care. Their Backpack Food Program supports more than 400 youth and their families with nutritious, non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food choices over the weekend. “The Backpack programs provide more than just food,” said Brown. “They also bring a sense of security economic empowerment, healthy food access and social inclusion for children.”
HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital recently invested more than $700,000 to fund community-based initiatives to support the urgent health challenges presented by food insecurity, substance abuse and workforce development. In 2019, the hospital also provided an investment of $750,000 in the Fitchburg Arts Community, a 62-unit mixed housing project on the site of the former BF Brown School in downtown Fitchburg to aid in the pre-development phase of the project.
And, as a public health doctor, Perla is giving back to the community through volunteering and expertise as an epidemiologist to local businesses and organizations to ensure a safe environment for social gatherinDgs during the pandemic. “As a public health doctor, my job is to improve public health above all else,” said Perla. “By providing risk assessments via surveys to help businesses thrive lowers the risk and establishes a comfort level and safe environment based on the survey feedback from the participants.”
The pulse of any community rests on the trust it places in its residents and institutions. Through calm times and crisis, North Central Massachusetts’ array of healthcare systems, administrators and physicians stand ready to keep that pulse alive and help it thrive. Their dedication and investment go far beyond business and hits at the heart of what makes this region a great place to live and work: people caring for people working together, not just to survive but to thrive.
The Fall continues to be one of the busiest times when it comes to legislative engagement and advocacy on behalf of our members at the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. In September, over 80 local, state, and federal officials and candidates engaged our members during our Annual Legislative and Candidates Reception at the Chocksett Inn in Sterling. The municipal elections earlier this month saw the region’s three mayors successfully fend off challengers while new blood was appointed to all three city councils. Fitchburg resident Sally Cragin mounted a successful run for Councilor-At-Large, while Derrick Cruz won the seat for Ward 6; Gardner saw City Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas move up to Councilor-At-Large and Dana Heath fill her seat in Ward 2; while in Leominster, Todd Deacon became the newest Councilor-At-Large and Bill Brady was elected to Ward 1. The Chamber will continue to engage these newly elected officials with regards to Chamber activities and priorities.
In addition to discussions with our newly elected city officials, the Chamber continues to monitor municipal affairs across the region. Monthly mayor’s meetings with Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale and Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella have resumed, and a joint meeting including Gardner Mayor Mike Nicholson is scheduled for December. In October, the Fitchburg City Council voted in favor of maintaining the single tax rate. Data presented by the Assessor’s office indicated investment in the City is helping it to continue to diversify its tax base. Earlier this month, the Chamber ventured out to Sterling for a presentation on broadband internet now being offered by the Sterling Municipal Light Department. The new broadband offering will serve as a great economic development tool to attract businesses to their main artery through town, and will also prove to be a benefit for area residents.
After months of negotiations in Washington D.C., the House passed their $1.2 trillion-dollar infrastructure bill that includes $550 billion in new federal investments to the country’s infrastructure over the next 5 years including funds for airports, bridges, mass transit, ports, rail, roads, and waterways. Sixty-five billion has been set aside for investments aimed at improving America’s broadband infrastructure, and additional dollars have been set aside to improve the electric grid and water systems. Prior to its passage, Congressman Jim McGovern and Congresswoman Lori Trahan engaged the region’s officials and Chamber members during the annual Congressional Luncheon. After being held virtually last year due to the pandemic, the two spoke to a full room at Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg about a number of issues impacting our members including the infrastructure bill, the American Rescue Plan, taxes and political division.
On Beacon Hill, the House and Senate developed their $3.82 billion ARPA spending proposals. The two versions had some common ground on two major areas including a $500 million payment toward the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund, half the amount requests by Governor Charlie Baker, and a $500 million program to offer one-time bonuses to low-income essential workers who continued to provide in-person services during the COVID-19 crisis. Despite those commonalities, the bills differed too much for an agreement to be reached in conference committee before the end of formal session, and as of this writing, no compromise has been reached. The Chamber spent time advocating with the region’s delegation in both branches on workforce development, tourism recovery and education priorities. We also advocated for multiple initiatives contained in the One North Central regional economic development plan including the proposed business investment fund and education compact, the latter of which made it into the Senate version.
U.S. Census data released earlier this year was used to develop proposed redistricting maps for the House, Senate, and Congressional Districts. On a statewide level, population increases led to House and Senate representation shifting further eastward. The 27 communities represented by the Chamber and its affiliates will retain the same total amount of state representation, however, there will be some shifts within who falls into each district. On the federal level, Chamber members will continue to be represented by both Congressman Jim McGovern and Congresswoman Lori Trahan.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Travis Condon, the Chamber’s public affairs manager, at 978.353.7600, ext. 224; or via email at .
The Chamber is pleased to announce the addition of Rebecca Beaton and Stephen Sugar to our economic development team.
Beaton joins the staff in the position of Vice President of Lending where she will be responsible for helping to manage the lending and technical assistance programs offered through the Chamber’s economic development arm, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation. She joins the Chamber from Fidelity Bank where she served as Vice President and Small Business Relationship Manager. Her prior experience also includes work with Colonial Cooperative Bank in Gardner, Clinton Savings Bank and Spencer Savings Bank. She holds a Master’s Degree in Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Clark University. She is active in the community, including serving on the Board of Directors for GAAMHA, Inc.; Gardner Square Two, Inc.; and the Greater Gardner Chamber.
Sugar will support the Chamber’s lending efforts on a part-time basis. He joins the Chamber team after recently retiring from Main Street Bank, where he served as a Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending. He has over thirty years of experience in underwriting and managing business loans. He is a graduate of Franklin Pierce University and has a record of community service, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Nashoba Valley Chamber and as a past member of the Finance Committee for the Town of Pepperell. He currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of the Devens Historical Museum.
“We are thrilled to welcome these two talented professionals to our team.” said Roy M. Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber. “Rebecca and Steve will be a great resource to the business community as we look to expand our programs and help support new and existing small businesses in the region.”
The Chamber’s economic development affiliate, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC), completed its fiscal year on September 30, 2021. The NCMDC works in partnership with local banks, credit unions, chambers of commerce and area nonprofits to support emerging microenterprises, small businesses, and community projects in North Central Massachusetts with loans and technical assistance. The NCMDC provided a total of 84 loans during the year totaling $1,755,253 which helped retain or create a total of 158 jobs. These included 20 conventional microloans totaling $915,200 and 64 loans under round 2 of SBA’s Payroll Protection Program for $840,053.62. The average size of the loans was $20,895 with the smallest loan at $2,296 and the largest at $150,000. The conventional microloans were leveraged by another $717,500 in financing from local banks and credit unions and $229,242 in equity from borrowers. The demographic breakdown for the conventional loans was 38% to minorities; 24% to immigrants; 29% to women; and 81% to low and moderate income. Demographic breakdown for PPP loans was 53% to minorities; 58% were to women; and 64% to low and moderate income. During the year, the NCMDC also provided 2,399 hours of direct technical assistance to start-up and existing small businesses and hosted several successful workshops and forums in partnership with the Chamber.
Since the microloan program was established in the 1990s, the NCMDC has provided a cumulative total of 313 microloans totaling $10,132,302.00 which have helped create 647 jobs and retain another 300 jobs. The numbers do not include any fixed asset loans (SBA 504 loans) made during the early history of the NCMDC. When factoring in these loans, the NCMDC has made over $22 million in loans.
The NCMDC is certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) program and is a micro-loan intermediary for the U.S. Small Business Administration.
IC Federal Credit Union just recently celebrated their 93rd birthday on October 24, 2021, and, as a happy birthday gift to themselves, they just recently underwent a rebranding process over the summer.
IC Feder Credit Union was founded in 1928 as a member-owned, non-profit institution, chartered to encourage savings by offering a fair return on deposits; in turn used to offer low-cost loans.
Over the years, the mission of IC Federal Credit Union has stayed the same: to improve the well-being of their members by providing innovative products and services while promoting member education and community support through a team of caring, knowledgeable and empowered professionals.
“We want to be there step-by-step with our members and truly partner in the journey,” said Christopher Hendry, President and CEO of IC Federal Credit Union. “We’re not just a transactional organization. If we are not focusing on the member, then it’s very easy for them to go somewhere else.”
IC Federal Credit Union focuses on engaging their members and the life of what they do, and empowering their adventures moving forward, whether virtual or in-person.
Commercially, IC Federal Credit Union assists local businesses and organizations, informing them of their product options such as business lending for new equipment, or purchasing a piece of land and assisting in funding.
For the residential members, this means building a better relationship together and letting them know that IC Federal Credit Union has those products albeit personal or car loans, credit cards, and more.
With their new branding – new logo, new colors, and new focus – IC Federal Credit Union is able to provide support to their members online and in-person, as well as mobile on the go.
“The online and mobile experience should feel the same way we treat members in person,” Hendry stated, “so we’re launching new programs and products in the coming months for our members.”
The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t slowed down IC Federal Credit Union either.
“The interesting part of all of this is that it showed us that a virtual workforce is doable,” said Hendry. “We realized that it does work – either fully remote or hybrid – and gives our team a better balance in life. It’s opened up our minds and we continue to find unique ways to keep the business moving forward.”
Hendry added, “We are excited to continue our part and impact our community to let them know we are there for them and help however we can. We want to be a part of this community and couldn’t do that without the help of the [North Central Massachusetts] Chamber [of Commerce].”
He also mentioned that the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce provides opportunities that IC Federal appreciates and hope that more businesses and organization take advantage of said opportunities.
“The [North Central Massachusetts] Chamber of Commerce brings thought leaders together to see where the region is and should be headed,” said Hendry. “It’s a great opportunity to see your footprint in your own backyard.”
IC Federal Credit Union is fully open to the public to walk-in and no appointment is needed. Find out more about IC Federal Credit Union by visiting their website at https://www.iccreditunion.org/, or visiting in person at one of the branch locations.
With Massachusetts in the midst of another COVID-19 surge, daily confirmed infections have returned to levels not seen since mid-January, before any of the three vaccines were available to the general public.
The Department of Public Health (DPH) reported 5,402 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, and hospitalizations climbed to 1,204, with 252 patients in intensive care units and 144 on ventilators.
The spike in infections arrives as colder temperatures have pushed more people indoors, people gather for the holidays, and as vaccinated and unvaccinated residents return to many of traditional activities they took part in before the pandemic.
The Omicron variant, which has been detected in Massachusetts, adds a new unknown to the equation as Gov. Charlie Baker continues to urge people to get vaccinated, including booster shots, and some officials seek a return to indoor masking where it is not currently required.
On June 25, the seven-day average of new cases was 64.1. It now stands at 3,309, as high as it’s been since late January. The 4.99 percent test positivity rate reported by the DPH is also as high as it’s been since Jan. 23, with 120,207 new tests recorded on Wednesday.
The Baker administration has taken steps to address the overcrowding of hospitals by requiring providers with limited available bed capacity to curtail non-essential procedures. Hospitals have seen a nearly 134 percent increase in COVID-19 admissions over the past month, with 515 patients reported as hospitalized with the virus on Nov. 8. DPH reported 12 new deaths on Wednesday, after reporting 51 deaths Tuesday, and the total confirmed deaths from the pandemic to date stand at 19,163.
More than a third of the patients currently in the hospital with COVID-19, or 417, were fully vaccinated when they became infected, according to DPH. The state reports 4,949,714 residents have been fully vaccinated with either two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one shot of Johnson & Johnson, or about 70 percent of the total population. Another 1,346,965 booster doses have been administered.
The Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management plans a hearing next Thursday to examine the state of the pandemic in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts is exploring the future of natural gas used in homes and businesses and by large commercial and industrial customers. We’d like your thoughts.
Whether you live in Massachusetts or run a business here, the future of natural gas impacts us all. That’s why we would like your input on a plan to ensure a safe, reliable, and equitable transition to the future of energy in our state.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) directed the Massachusetts gas companies to explore pathways for a clean energy future – for you and our future generations. This includes the critical goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Our part in achieving “net zero” includes removing the same amount of greenhouse gases we produce or avoiding them altogether through new technologies, to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. These new technologies could impact home appliances like heating systems, boilers, gas stoves, and water heaters and a variety of commercial and industrial equipment that use natural gas. That’s a big job, and one that needs the public’s support and input to succeed.
Here’s how to share ideas and get involved:
Attend a live webinar to learn more and provide your feedback. Please register below for one of the sessions to reserve your spot, attendance is limited.
Pictured L to R: Barbara Mahoney, President & CEO, LCU; Kristen Cote, Marketing Specialist, LCU; Carolyn Read, Executive Director Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts; Craig Madonia, SVP Lending, LCU.
Leominster Credit Union’s recent Shred-a-Thon raised $1,000 for Habitat for Humanity, North Central Mass.
LCU’s Shred-A-Thon is a free event open to the public. Each year LCU partners with Habitat for Humanity, and participants may make a donation to the organization. The event was held at LCU’s North Leominster branch where many members and non-members stopped by to have their sensitive documents shred on site by the secure shredding service, New England Security Shredders.
“This was our most successful Shred-A-Thon to date,” commented Barbara Mahoney, President and CEO. “We were pleased to be able to hold the event this year, where due to COVID had to postpone the events last year and this past spring. LCU’s semi-annual Shred-A-Thons are a great community event and assist in preventing identity theft, by offering a secure venue to shred confidential documents. The generous donations collected went to a great organization, Habitat for Humanity.”
Confidence in the Massachusetts economy dipped slightly in November among employers, the fourth straight monthly decline recorded by Associated Industries of Massachusetts as fears of COVID-19 and continued supply chain disruptions dimmed corporate views.
One economist said the recent passage of legislation to spend $4 billion in American Rescue Plan Act and state surplus money should give the economy some momentum, but AIM CEO John Regan noted that Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision not to seek a third term will inject some uncertainty into the marketplace.
Employers registered a confidence score of 57.9 on AIM’s monthly business confidence index for November, down half a point from October and from 65.6 in July. The index is based on a survey of 140 employers across Massachusetts, with 50 being a neutral score. Since 1991, the index has gone as high as 68.5 and as low as 33.3.
The November index score is the lowest recorded since March, but is still 8.6 points higher than a year ago. The score has taken a recent tumble as a rise in COVID-19 cases, fueled by the Delta variant and now the arrival of the Omicron variant, have increased anxiety over the pandemic, and employers continue to struggle with supply chain delays and labor shortages.
Michael Goodman, a professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, said the ARPA spending bill on Gov. Baker’s desk and the new federal infrastructure bill “will add momentum to a state economy that slowed to a 2 percent annual growth rate in the third quarter.”
“In addition to boosting growth in the near term, these federal funds will allow Massachusetts to address longstanding and critical challenges including job training, transportation, housing and education,” Goodman said in a statement.
Regan, however, said the unfolding race for governor in 2022 should be watched closely now that Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito have decided not to seek reelection and there will be a new governor 13 months from now.
“Any change in the corner officer on Beacon Hill affects the confidence on Massachusetts employers,” Regan said. “Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito will leave a legacy of disciplined fiscal management and policies that have allowed Massachusetts to remain a pre-eminent center of technology and commerce.”
While employer views of the state’s economy remain optimistic, opinions on the U.S. economy turned pessimistic for the first time since January with a score of 48.8. Employers’ confidence in their own companies was essentially flat at 61.1, and the employment index was the only indicator to rise by three-tenths of a point to 56.2.
A regional confidence score for Central Massachusetts came in below the statewide number at 56.3. AIM intends to add regional indexes for Springfield and the North Shore.
New England power grid operators detailed their forecast for the winter of 2021-22 on Monday, saying they expect to be able to meet the region’s demand for electricity but also describing the issues that make them a bit concerned about reliability should the winter be colder than anticipated. [Screenshot]
Electric grid operators expect to be able to keep the lights on in New England this winter. But having come close to a major problem during a costly cold snap here four years ago and watching the recent struggles of power systems in California and Texas, ISO-New England is also doing more to highlight the risks the region’s power system faces as temperatures drop.
ISO-NE expects that demand among the 14 million electric customers in New England will peak this winter at 19,710 megawatts under average winter weather conditions of 10 degrees and as high as 20,349 MW if average temperatures drop below 5 degrees. The winter demand forecast, which is about 2 percent lower than the forecasted peak demand for last winter, is based on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outlook that projects a milder than average New England winter.
Demand peaked last winter at 18,756 MW on Dec. 17, 2020, and the all-time winter peak demand is 22,818 MW, set on Jan. 15, 2004. The highest peak demand on the grid, regardless of time of year, was 28,130 MW on Aug. 2, 2006.
Gordon van Welie, president and CEO of ISO-NE, said the severity of the cold weather is one of three main variables that could put the region in a more precarious position than in previous winters, along with the global availability and price of oil and liquified natural gas deliveries into New England and constraints on natural gas pipeline capacity at times of simultaneous demand from heating customers and electricity generators.
If those risks come to pass and threaten the reliability of power for the region this winter, van Welie said, it could “force the ISO to take emergency actions up to an including controlled power outages.”
“I’m not saying this to cause undue alarm at this early stage. Rather, by identifying and sharing the conditions under which the power system would be most challenged, we hope to prepare the region,” van Welie said during a briefing with New England reporters Monday afternoon. “If a worst-case scenario develops, the ISO, utilities and government officials will need to act quickly to avoid an overall power system collapse. Steps such as asking for conservation of electricity and natural gas usage throughout the cold snap could help minimize or avoid the possibility of more drastic actions.”
If an emergency situation develops this winter, ISO-NE has a handful of options available before it would have to resort to controlled outages, including importing emergency power from neighboring regions, calling on power system reserves, and urging businesses and residents to voluntarily conserve energy.
Four years ago, amid a brutal cold snap, the New England grid came within days of catastrophe. During a frigid stretch between Christmas 2017 and Jan. 9, 2018, regional power generators burned two million barrels of oil — more than twice the amount of oil they burned during all of 2016 — in order to produce sufficient electricity.
The two-week event “nearly pushed the bulk power system to the brink,” ISO-NE said, but the severity of the situation did not come to light until after the fact.
“There were many sleepless nights during that two-week period … because we realized we were getting close to the edge but we didn’t have an effective way to communicate on how close we were and we didn’t want to panic people,” van Welie said Monday. “As luck would have it, we made it through to the following week when the weather broke and the supply chain could catch up with us. But given how close we came to being literally within two days of an energy deficiency within the region, we said never again will we want to communicate that way.”
After that 2017/18 incident, ISO-NE began preparing and publishing an energy adequacy forecast on a rolling 21-day basis with the aim of identifying potential shortfalls with enough time to take corrective actions. The forecast is based on the weather outlook, projected fuel supply inventories and deliveries, expected production from wind and solar resources, and consumer demand expectations.
“We’re going to give people much more time. Time for us actually to go out and ask for conservation days in advance before we actually get into the energy situation and hopefully be able to head it off,” Vice President of System Operations & Market Administration Peter Brandien said.
Brandien mentioned an August 2020 heatwave that hit California and led the grid operator there to order two days of rolling blackouts and the lessons that ISO-NE learned from that. After the operator began load shedding and was public about the tough situation it was in, he said, it was able to secure about 3,000 MW of additional capacity it had not realized was available.
“And then when people really understood the situation, they got a lot better conservation than they had leading into the event,” Brandien said. “So part of what we’re trying to do here is really educate everybody on where we are, give them a heads up and understand that when we do go out for conservation, we’re going out for conservation to try to keep everybody with electricity.”
In February, millions of electric customers in Texas were without power for days after a series of winter storms brought unusually cold and icy weather to the state and basically froze its natural gas-fired power generators. More than 200 people died during the emergency.
During his briefing with reporters Monday, van Welie stressed that “New England is not Texas” but reiterated his concerns about what could happen if LNG and natural gas supplies are limited and seriously cold weather hits.
“Our system is better winterized, meaning the power plants, transmission lines and other equipment needed to produce and deliver electricity can better withstand cold temperatures,” he said. “However, as I noted earlier, we are concerned about the fragile energy supply chain to the region during extreme weather.”
van Welie also touched briefly on the recent setback, possibly fatal, delivered last month to the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission project in Maine, which was intended to connect Canadian hydropower to the New England grid as a way to relieve the pressure of other fuel sources and fulfill part of a 2016 Massachusetts law.
“Closer ties and stronger connection with Quebec is absolutely part of the solution. We just shouldn’t think that it’s going to solve everything for us,” he said, noting that he expects New England to become a “winter-peaking” power system around 2030 as more homes switch to electric heat and electric vehicles become more widespread.
He added, “With regard to this specific project in Maine, I’m disappointed about the outcome there. If it doesn’t go ahead, I think we will find other paths and I think maybe the one thing we can have to do is recognize that you’re going to have to spend more in order to get these transmission lines sited because part of the objection … is people don’t want to see these lines. And so if you bury them then you remove that objection, but of course you then incur a much higher price tag.”
