Energy

Transportation, energy and the construction fields feature as primary focus areas in a bill Senate Democrats rolled out Thursday to accelerate decarbonization efforts amidst what lawmakers called a sluggish approach by state agencies.

The 6-cent drop follows President Joe Biden’s decision to release 1 million barrels of oil per day for six months from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Now, in its seventh year, the Manufacturing Excellence Awards seeks to accentuate the top performers in a highly complex and varied industry.

The average gasoline price in Massachusetts is now at $4.26 per gallon of regular unleaded, down 9 cents since last week, according to a report from the travel group AAA Northeast. 

Renewable energy firm Ameresco has planted 500 trees at Yorkshire Dales National Park in England.

The increase in fuel price follows Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which caused the price of oil to spike to $123 per barrel of oil, although that has since dropped slightly to to $110 per barrel. 

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has penalized Sterling contractor Christopher McNamara a total of $69,860 for violating asbestos removal regulations at the Sterling Municipal Light Department maintenance garage.

Renewable energy firm Ameresco secured $262 million in financing from Bank of America, as part of its effort to complete a large-scale battery storage system in Southern California.

ISO secured commitments of 32,810 megawatts of electricity for the upcoming demand in the 2025-2026 season. Of those, 5,000 comes from solar, wind, energy storage, and demand resources.

Westborough-based Ascend Elements, a lithium ion battery recycling and manufacturing company, was selected by SK Battery America, a Korean-owned motor vehicle manufacturer with a facility in Georgia, to recycle the company’s manufacturing scrap.