The Jan. 30 editorial “For now, New England needs fossil fuels” presented the wrong remedy for New England’s energy needs. The Editorial Board was correct that relying on oil is costly and that natural gas is extremely expensive in the winter. But the Editorial Board somehow blamed renewables for the bills, while advocating increased dependency on pricey natural gas.
We want more generation from renewables. But what’s slowing us down? Let’s look at the past year: Republicans passed what I call their “big ugly bill,” which will keep as much as 790,000 clean megawatts of energy off the grid by 2035. Solar and wind face permitting hurdles imposed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and the Trump administration’s actions are linked to 324 clean-energy projects across 47 states being threatened or canceled. And the Energy Department cut nearly $8 billion in unlawfully blocked grants from blue states, which would have delivered energy savings and American-made technologies. And it attempted to stop work on five offshore wind power plants, including some that were nearly completed, which would power more than 2.5 million homes on the East Coast.
Second, energy bills are high in New England because the region is overly dependent on natural gas, which is increasingly expensive at home as the Trump administration allows more to be sold overseas. In Massachusetts, natural gas prices increased more than 30 percent between October 2024 and October 2025.
Dirty and expensive fossil fuels dominate this administration’s politics — and Massachusetts is losing out on cheap, fast-to-deploy and clean energy. Let’s break free from the fossil fuel industry’s profiteering and pollution and invest in green energy.
Edward J. Markey, Washington
The writer, a Democrat, is a U.S. senator from Massachusetts and member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Coal’s benefits
The Jan. 31 online editorial “The administration’s pro-coal policies are anti-market” should have mentioned a very important fact: Coal has kept the lights on when our electricity supply has been pushed to its limit — including this past week.
Multiple times over the summer and this winter, grid operators across the nation’s largest electricity markets faced circumstances where electricity demand threatened to overwhelm available supply. Coal ramped up to keep the lights on when wind or solar power were hobbled because of unfavorable weather conditions.
Last week, the nation’s grid watchdog, the North American Electric Reliability Corp., found that grids across the country are at high risk of energy shortfalls in the next five years. NERC warns the “continuing shift in the resource mix toward weather-dependent resources and less fuel diversity increases risks of supply shortfalls during winter months.”
And coal can actually help temper electricity prices by providing optionality when natural gas prices soar. But the most important benefit of the Trump administration’s focus on coal plants has been ensuring homes remain warm during life-threatening cold.
Rich Nolan, Washington
The writer is the president and CEO of the National Mining Association.
Consider college alternatives
Regarding the Feb. 1 Business article “In shift, trade workers gain edge in labor market”:
Advancements in technology are leading employers to hire fewer people and prompting students to question the value of a traditional four-year degree.
Instead of seeing only the negative, students and employers should take a broader view of “college” and consider other pathways to good jobs, such as the nation’s two-year technical and trade colleges.
Boston showed strong support for this approach to college last month with the opening of a new $75 million campus for Franklin Cummings Tech, a private, nonprofit, two-year technical college, which I lead as president and CEO. This investment, made by partners across government, the private sector and philanthropy, reflects a shared belief in the power of technical education to expand economic opportunity while supplying employers with the skilled workforce they need.
Prosperity doesn’t have to require a four-year degree and significant debt. Higher education includes practical, high-value pathways that prepare people for in-demand careers and lead to economic stability.
Aisha Francis, Boston
Fixing the Kennedy Center
Regarding the Feb. 2 front-page article “President seeking to renovate arts venue”:
President Donald Trump is closing the Kennedy Center for renovations after numerous artists have refused to perform there. While there is good reason to question Trump’s motivations, the closure nonetheless presents an important opportunity to improve the poor acoustics of the Concert Hall.
The National Symphony Orchestra has tried to improve its reputation as a provincial orchestra that has not reached the top tier of American orchestras by paying high salaries and signing contracts with leading conductors such as Gianandrea Noseda. Despite those efforts, the NSO has always been judged by the sound of its own Concert Hall, which has received many bad reviews over the years.
Any serious effort will require a complete gutting of the interior of the first floor of the Kennedy Center. The first floor should contain only the concert and opera halls and nothing else. In addition, modern audio and video recording equipment should be permanently installed.
If Trump’s renovation effort is not used to improve the acoustics of the Concert Hall, it will be a complete waste of time and money. The $250 million budget that Trump discusses is very likely not enough for the entire building.
That raises the concern that Trump merely wants to change the cosmetic appearance of the building to justify putting his name on the building.
If so, the NSO will still be a provincial orchestra performing in a hall with lousy acoustics when the work has been completed.
Marty McBroom, Washington
I was shocked to read that the Kennedy Center will be closed for two years for “renovations.” I disagree with President Donald Trump that it is “tired, broken, and dilapidated.“
As a years-long subscriber to the National Symphony Orchestra, I have yet to see a rat, a broken elevator, a shabby carpet or any other sign of deterioration. In fact, I admire the new red carpet in the foyer. The programs are wonderful, the volunteers and ushers are very helpful, and I find a high and happy spirit at the Kennedy Center. Surely there can be a work-around to permit these benefits to continue as the renovations take place.
Carol Morgan, Washington
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