Worcester Business Journal

20 Worcester Business Journal • September 12, 2016 www.wbjournal.com F L A S H P O L L In light of utilities dropping out of a gas pipeline project, do you agree with the court's ruling that electric ratepayers should not have to pay for gas pipeline construction? Electric ratepayer should cover natural gas upgrades T he Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts has ruled that utilities cannot ask electric ratepayers to help finance the construction of natural gas pipelines. National Grid and Eversource Energy have since dropped applications to the Department of Public Utilities for contracts critical to the financing of an eastern Massachusetts pipeline. When polled, the majority of WBJ readers felt this was a bad decision, mostly because natural gas helps keep electricity costs down. A slew of new restaurants are opening on downtown Worcester -- including the Bull Mansion and six in The Grid District -- over the next year, with the Massachusetts Restaurant Association calling the city the most desirable market in the state, after Boston's Seaport District. All these new restaurants are part of the city's ongoing effort to breathe new life into its neighborhoods, especially downtown. When polled, WBJ readers overwhelming thought these eateries were the start of something much bigger for Worcester. Restaurants a sign of new Worcester to come Do you believe all the new restaurants in Worcester are part of a true urban revitalization of the city? Yes. These early signs of progress give me hope the entire revitalization plan will be realized. 61% Yes, only natural gas ratepayers should pay for gas infrastructure projects. 26% "It's naive to think that the current infrastructure will support our future needs for natural gas. The system is constrained! It needs expansion desperately! Our current electricity costs are too high, which compromises the competitiveness of manufacturers in Massachusetts." Yes. In 10 years Worcester will be a completely different city. 19% No. These efforts will fail like most revitalization plans. No. These new changes are simply window dressing on a city that fundamentally will not change. 19% Yes, gas pipelines are only a short-term fix and this will help move things towards more renewables. 12% No, we need to encourage more natural gas in the region. 21% No, electric ratepayers will benefit from more cheap natural gas for the region's power plants. 41% "If there was as much demand as claimed by these projects, there would be investors willing to support them. This should be paid for by use, not forcing ratepayers into paying for speculative ventures." A t t o r n e y s & B u s i n e s s A d v i s o r s W W W . D A R R O W E V E R E T T . C O M R H O D E I S L A N D | M A S S A C H U S E T T S | N E W Y O R K deal·mak·ers ˈdēlˌmākər/ noun 1. (See DarrowEverett L L P) Signaturechefs.org/Worcester For more information, contact Patty Kady 508-329-2809 or pkady@marchofdimes.org Worcester Signature Chefs Auction A night of giving to benefit The March of Dimes Join us on Thursday October 20, 2016 Mechanics Hall, Worcester Steven MacLauchlan President & CEO Saint Vincent Hospital James Paulhus President & CEO UniBank "What do ratepayers think their electricity energy sources comes from at night and when it's calm?" COMMENTS: 1% "As populations continue to expand, via our great universities and colleges, along with continued business growth, and with more individuals and families moving west to afford cheaper housing then the city of Boston or its suburbs, Worcester will grow and prosper. The restaurant movement is timely and will benefit from this growth." "All cities need restaurants." "New food places come and go all the time. The most important part of what needs to happen is more jobs, not just these service ones." COMMENTS:

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