Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy is looking for an impartial overview of all inexperienced power applications and climate-related spending in Massachusetts.
The plea comes as Massachusetts at present ranks as having the third-highest power prices within the nation, and as utility corporations warn that payments are set to extend over the winter months.
“Massachusetts is one of the most expensive states in America when it comes to utility bills. This is not accidental,” Kennealy mentioned in a press launch. “It’s the result of an overly-partisan governing approach that puts political ideology ahead of the people of Massachusetts.”
Kennealy blames Gov. Maura Healey’s power insurance policies for the dramatic rise in power costs, citing the then-candidate’s personal phrases throughout her 2022 gubernatorial marketing campaign, when she bragged about “stopping two gas pipelines from coming into this state.”
“Governor Healey blocked two major natural gas pipelines from entering our state, knowingly driving up energy costs,” Kennealy mentioned. “Her administration is pushing full steam toward a 2050 net-zero emissions mandate, even if it means skyrocketing costs for families and small businesses.”
Kennealy mentioned the overview would come with all tax credit, subsidies and grants for inexperienced power corporations, all regulatory mandates driving elevated utility prices, the full price of state local weather applications to taxpayers and ratepayers, and a full accounting of how state local weather insurance policies affect affordability and reliability.
“We must identify which policies are driving energy costs through the roof and burdening our families and make cuts. If this administration won’t act, I will,” Kennealy mentioned.
As Kennealy makes the decision, laws is already shifting on Beacon Hill to roll again inexperienced power spending — together with the state’s 2050 net-zero emissions mandate.
Home Democrats on the Telecommunications, Utilities and Power Committee have assembled an omnibus invoice that may set up an “affordability and competitiveness standard” for clear power transition rules in Massachusetts.
It will additionally redirect the main target of the Mass Save rebate program from greenhouse gasoline discount to price effectiveness and power effectivity, would make cuts to the Mass Save program, and take away the ban on Mass Save rebates for environment friendly gasoline heating methods, amongst different measures.
The invoice, sponsored by Braintree Democrat Mark Cusak, is being praised by small enterprise house owners whereas on the identical time drawing backlash from local weather activists and clear power advocates. Cusak and his fellow co-sponsors blame actions taken by the federal authorities beneath the Trump administration, which they are saying have hampered the state’s local weather targets.
“We represent 0.01% of global C02 emissions. There is no justification for forcing families to pay drastically higher electricity and heating bills in pursuit of a symbolic goal that does nothing to meaningfully change global climate outcomes,” mentioned Kennealy. “The Healey Administration’s resistance to affordability is no surprise – Governor Healey has filled her administration with climate activists while ignoring consumers. It’s simply not fair to the people trying to raise their families here.”
Healey filed her personal laws (H 4144) again in June that seeks to decrease power prices by rolling again state power mandates, rising DPU oversight of investor-owned utilities, and strengthening the state’s power independence.
The governor says her invoice would cut back power prices by $10 billion over the subsequent decade.
