Group says these proposed Massachusetts laws will help consumers in fight over high utility bills

BOSTON, Mass. — A grassroots coalition of Massachusetts citizens fed up with rising utility costs announced Wednesday that the Attorney General has certified three ballot initiative petitions they say are designed to increase transparency, restore consumer consent, stop regulators from loading hidden charges onto monthly bills, and give customers a real choice to opt out of questionable smart metering technology.

“Families are tired of paying for programs and surcharges they never agreed to,” said Eliseu (Elijah) DeSousa, founder of the Citizens Against Eversource Facebook community and lead petitioner. “These initiatives respect people’s budgets and their choices. If you want to fund optional programs, opt in. If you prefer a traditional analog meter, you should not be penalized. It is basic fairness, and it is long overdue.”

The petitions, numbered 25-42, 25-43, and 25-44, now move to the signature-gathering phase for the November 2026 ballot after today’s legal determination that they meet constitutional form and relatedness requirements.

“Each petition has been crafted to comply with Article 48 and to target the hidden policies driving our bills through the roof,” said Christopher Thrasher, a Westport attorney, public policy advocate, and chief legal architect of the initiatives.

“For too long, ratepayers have been forced to pay the price for political mandates that never belonged on their utility bills,” said Thrasher, who recently formed an exploratory committee for U.S. Senate. “Massachusetts families are getting strangled by Beacon Hill’s statutory spaghetti, with hidden fees, political favors, and bureaucratic schemes layered on top of one another. These initiatives cut through the tangle, put consumers first, and restore fairness: lower costs for families and an end to blank checks for utilities and special interests.”

The group states that their initiatives would do the following:

25-42 — Promote Consent and Transparency in Utility Billing

The proposed law would:

• Require utilities to obtain a customer’s affirmative, written consent before adding charges that are not directly and exclusively related to the physical delivery of electricity or gas.

• End automatic charges such as the Electric Vehicle program fee and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center per-kilowatt-hour fee, which currently drive delivery charges higher than energy costs.

• Implement a hard cap so that, for customers who do not opt in, non-delivery charges may not exceed 5 percent of the total monthly bill.

• Require clear, itemized billing that separates delivery charges from all other items and shows the legal authority, administering agency, the amount for the period, and year-to-date totals for each surcharge.

• Preserve Mass Save as a voluntary program while ending automatic funding without customer approval.

• End the requirement that utilities like Eversource and National Grid automatically contribute at least $12 million annually to state clean energy programs, easing pressure on rates.

 “These efforts started as a fight against outrageous utility bills,” said DeSousa, a New Bedford-based activist who created the now 36,000+ strong Facebook group. “But as we dug deeper, we discovered the real culprit: the required fees and contributions that the Legislature and the Healey administration have quietly layered on top of our bills. These charges are driving costs higher than the energy itself. That is what we are fighting to change.”

25-43 — Eliminate Revenue-Based Reconciliation in Rate Structures

The proposed law would end the practice of revenue decoupling, which guarantees utilities fixed revenues even when sales drop. In practice, decoupling often means ratepayers cover utility shortfalls caused by poor planning, conservation, or mild weather.

Under this reform:

• Utilities could no longer pass on automatic surcharges to make up lost revenue.

• Existing decoupling programs would phase out no later than July 1, 2027.

• Both the Attorney General and consumers would have the right to enforce the law in court.

“If a utility makes poor business decisions or misses performance marks, ratepayers should not be automatically on the hook to make up the difference,” said DeSousa. “Ending decoupling aligns incentives with customers and with real efficiency, not with guaranteed revenue.”

25-44 — Guarantee Analog Meter Availability and Informed Consent

This initiative protects consumer choice by guaranteeing access to traditional analog meters for electric, gas, and water service.

It would:

• Allow customers to keep or request an analog meter at no cost, including removal of a wireless meter at the customer’s direction.

• Require written consent before installing or activating wireless meters or equivalent technology.

• Prohibit fees, penalties, or service changes for choosing analog and require a clear customer notice that no law mandates wireless meters or conditions service on their use.

“Choice should not carry a surcharge,” said DeSousa. “If you prefer an analog meter, you get one without extra fees, penalties, or hassle.”

With certification complete, proponents now move into signature collection. Supporters will gather 74,574 certified signatures from registered voters by December 3, 2025, then submit the petitions to the Legislature in January 2026, which has until the first Wednesday in May 2026 to act.

If lawmakers do not enact a measure, proponents must collect an additional 12,429 signatures by July 1, 2026, to place the questions on the November 2026 ballot.

Ballot question committees will register with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, appoint treasurers, file public reports, and launch volunteer trainings, petition distribution, and community signing events across the Commonwealth.

“We are done paying for programs we did not choose,” said DeSousa. “Sign with us, put these questions on the ballot, and tell Beacon Hill to stop hiding mandates in our utility bills.”

“Now we take this to the people,” said Thrasher. “If you want to lower your utility bills and have a say in what you and your family are charged for, join us and help put these reforms on the 2026 ballot. From Boston to the Berkshires, we will replace hidden fees with honest bills, shut the door on special interests and hidden agendas, and deliver a fair deal for every Massachusetts ratepayer.”