To the NECEC community,

Normally at this time of year, we’d be announcing the date of our annual Green Tie Gala and gearing up to launch the nominations for our Gala Awards. But as you know, 2020 has not been just any year. COVID-19 continues to pose a major public health threat and upend daily life as we know it. The NECEC team has been working from home since March, and in that time the clean energy industry has faced immense challenges. Projects have stalled. Legislative sessions have been canceled. And more than 620,000 clean energy jobs have been lost across the country.

Only now are states across the Northeast beginning to reopen their economies. However, given the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and the risk of resurgence later this year, NECEC has decided to cancel the 2020 Green Tie Gala. Though the Gala is the highlight of our year and we cannot wait to reunite with so many of our colleagues and supporters, this was not a difficult decision to make. Our priority is the health and safety of our community.

The Gala may not be happening this year, but the work does not stop. The clean energy industry needs the support of all of us to rebound from this crisis, put employees back to work, and accelerate for the pivotal 2020’s decade of climate action. To that end, NECEC is organizing a new initiative to bring focus and momentum to clean energy getting back to work while demonstrating thoughtful care for the safety of employees, customers, and the broader community. Watch for an announcement in early July about this effort.

NECEC is incredibly impressed by the fortitude demonstrated across the clean energy industry during this difficult time. Together, we will overcome the new challenges presented by COVID-19; the urgency of solving climate change demands it. And we hope you will join us next year for the return of the Green Tie Gala. Mark your calendars for November 18, 2021.

Peter Rothstein

President

NECEC