In the wake of last session’s clean energy development law, Gov. Maura Healey intends to pursue executive action and legislation in the new term to crack down on steep energy bills that are straining Bay Staters’ wallets.
Healey previewed an “energy affordability and independence” bill she plans to file in front of 700 business leaders Wednesday, broadly emphasizing her administration’s focus on reducing health care, housing and energy costs. Healey signaled she also plans to wield her executive authority.
“This legislation, this executive action, hopefully will be steps that will bring down some of the costs for families and businesses,” Healey said during a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce forum at the Westin Copley Place without offering additional details.
“And they will jump-start homegrown, clean energy generation, which is the key to protecting against future volatility and price spikes,” Healey continued. “So we’re going to do this in the coming weeks. We’ll be reaching out to so many of you for input and, we hope, your engagement and support. And I mean it, I want to work together on this.”
Pressed for any details about her bill, Healey told reporters the bill will focus on providing discounts, cutting programs that “aren’t working,” and removing government “red tape.”
Healey would not say whether she’s open to changes to a gas pipe replacement program or Mass Save energy efficiency programs. The Department of Public Utilities has said an increase in delivery charges on energy bills stems from increases in the Mass Save budget.
“We’ll be out with more details. I want to have more conversations with Secretary Tepper about that, but she’ll be out to brief shortly,” Healey said, referring to Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper.
Healey indicated the executive action she’ll pursue will be similar to her bill.
“We’ll be out with details shortly, but it falls into the same category in terms of looking at what discounts can be provided, red tape that we can eliminate, and having a look at programs that are not working that we should change,” the governor told reporters.
DPU recently had a technical session and sought public feedback on developing a middle-income discount, including how to structure the program, specify eligibility criteria, and figure out the timeline for utilities to offer discounts.
DPU last week ordered utility companies to cut energy bills by 5% for March and April, a reduction that some lawmakers and critics decried as inadequate after regulators approved natural gas rate hikes in the fall. Regulators said they could not direct cuts for February bills.
A 5% reduction on a monthly bill of $300 would represent savings of $15. Eversource has attributed hefty energy bills to colder temperatures in January compared to December, which has ramped up energy usage.
While utilities have offered to “spread the pain out over the course of the year,” Healey lamented that the approach is “not good enough.”
“Massachusetts will be stronger, we will be more affordable, when we can better rely on ourselves for energy,” Healey said at the forum. “I don’t want to be tied to costly, volatile fuels that spike every winter and ship dollars out of our state.”
The governor also criticized President Donald Trump’s actions against the offshore wind industry, which she warned could hamper the state’s AI Hub. Trump halted new offshore wind leases on his first day in office.
“We can kick ass on this hub by getting all of our colleges and universities, our major companies, our research institutions. We need the power -- we need the power to fire this thing,” Healey said. “But that’s one of the reasons I don’t need wind taken off the table, like we’re ready to go with wind. There’s a ton of jobs. By the way, jobs in 41 states benefit from the wind industry here in Massachusetts.”
Healey in a Feb. 16 letter urged DPU to provide immediate relief to ratepayers, identify ways to curb future price volatility, and accelerate energy affordability initiatives. Healey also said utilities must bolster their efforts to get customers enrolled in cost-saving programs, and she pointed out Mass Save allows participants to “save thousands of dollars in energy costs by making their homes less drafty and more energy efficient.”
DPU said it is working with utilities to overhaul delivery charges to protect customers from price volatility.
When energy bills also soared last year, DPU launched an inquiry and that investigation is ongoing.
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