National Grid Plans To Go 'Fossil-Free'; Massachusetts Customers Will Get Choice

BOSTON (CBS) -- National Grid has announced plans to become fossil-free.

The utility company says that by 2050 or sooner it will completely transition its gas network to hydrogen and renewable natural gas, which is made from decomposing materials at farms, landfills and other sources.

Customers in Massachusetts and New York will be allowed to choose to fully electrify their systems or stay on the gas network.

"National Grid's fossil-free vision will not only achieve a net zero energy future, and achieve the climate goals of the states in which we operate, but it will also provide additional, affordable clean energy choices so no customer or community is left behind on our clean energy transition," the company said in a statement.

However some environmental groups, like Boston's Conservation Law Foundation, say renewable natural gas "will do little or nothing at all to cut climate-damaging emissions."

A recent study found that New England is warming up even faster than the rest of the world.