latest
Massachusetts Gov. Healey signs executive order she says will save $10 billion in residents energy costs, states Iran war costing Mass. drivers $2.4 million per day
BOSTON…..Saying the state has “a lot of energy needs,” Gov. Maura Healey tasked state agencies with adding ten gigawatts of power to the state’s supply to help lower residents’ increasingly costly energy bills.
Healey, who is up for reelection this year, signed an executive order directing her administration to bring in the new power resources by 2035. That’s enough to power two million homes and could save residents $10 billion, Healey claims. The executive order also calls for five new gigawatts of energy storage by 2035.
“We’re all in this together and everyday I need people getting after it – everyday – to figure out ways to get this done, to bring the different kinds of energy sources online,” Healey said during a press conference at the Lynch Elementary School in Winchester, which is fully powered by solar energy.
The order is part of Healey’s “all-of-the-above” approach focused on bringing in all kinds of energy including solar, wind, gas, geothermal and hydro. The ten gigawatt target includes four gigawatts of in-state solar and 3.5 gigawatts of electric demand reduction reached through methods like virtual power plants and electric vehicle charging, according to Healey’s office.
Healey is separately pushing legislation (H 4144Track) that her office says could lead to $13 billion in savings. Her bill remains before the House Ways and Means Committee, which has pushed its own bill through the House.
Massachusetts is newly receiving hydropower from Canada but it’s push to develop commercial scale offshore wind power has been slowed down by the Trump administration.
Healey said her office was preparing the executive order long before the U.S. engaged in war with Iran at the end of February. Now, rising gas and oil prices tied to the war and Iran blocking key supply sources, like the Strait of Hormuz, make the executive order all the more important, she said.
The price of oil has exceeded $100 per barrel and the average price of home heating oil is now more than $5 per gallon, she said. The governor also cited analyses that found the war in Iran is costing Massachusetts drivers $2.4 million per day.
“I know one thing the Iranians can’t block: that’s solar and wind in Massachusetts, that’s battery storage in Massachusetts, that’s geothermal and hydro in Massachusetts,” she said. “We’re not going to back down on what we know works.”
Asked Monday how long gas prices are expected to remain elevated, Trump said that oil prices and inflation will fall “very, very rapidly” once the war is over. Also, he suggested higher energy costs are a small price to pay for ridding Iran of its nuclear weapons.
“Frankly, much more important than short term or even long-term oil prices, you can’t let the most violent, vicious country in the last 50 years have a nuclear weapon because the Middle East will be gone,” he told reporters at the White House. “Israel will go first, without question, and they’ll certainly take a shot at us before we get our act together and say ‘we gotta take them out.’ ”
Healey’s office cited projections from ISO New England that show the state’s electricity consumption could rise by almost 15% by 2035 and 50% by 2045.
Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper noted the executive order is a directive for the state to speed up and build upon ongoing work to bring more energy into Massachusetts.
Tepper added, “It’s a commitment, whatever is going on in the world, Massachusetts is going to be a stable place to do business.”
The order has support from businesses as rising costs are putting a dent in Massachusetts’ competitiveness.
Brooke Thomson, CEO and president of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, spoke in support of the order noting that employers in the state pay some of the highest commercial and industrial rates in the country.
“These high costs act as a hidden tax on economic growth and prosperity,” Thomson said. “When competition is at an all-time high, Massachusetts literally cannot afford high energy costs making our industries less competitive.”
Chrissy Lynch, president of AFL-CIO, said creating more energy in the state can generate more union jobs.
“Look, Massachusetts needs more reliable energy and we need more family-sustaining union jobs, both of which give working class people the economic stability to be able to stay here, to support their families and invest in their local communities,” Lynch said.
Republican gubernatorial candidates Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve blasted Healey’s order.
Kennealy said Healey’s policies would continue driving up costs and the order shows she’s focused on ideological priorities instead of affordability.
“Today’s press conference made it clear that Governor Healey is more focused on advancing a partisan climate agenda than on bringing down costs for working families,” Kennealy said in a statement. “Massachusetts needs a common sense energy strategy – one that prioritizes affordability, reliability, and innovation. That means being open to practical energy solutions that lower costs and strengthen our energy independence.”
He added the state must find a balanced energy policy that includes expanding infrastructure for natural gas and investing in newer clean energy technologies like nuclear fusion.
Shortsleeve took aim at Healey’s criticism of President Trump’s energy policies, saying she is trying to “dodge responsibility” for the state’s high energy prices.
“No one is more responsible than Maura Healey for Massachusetts’ outrageous energy costs,” Shortsleeve said in a statement, adding he would eliminate add-on fees on utility bills if he were elected. “As governor, I’ll eliminate those fees, and pursue a true all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes natural gas, hydro, nuclear, and renewables, and I’ll remake the state’s net zero mandate into a goal so we can lower emissions without punishing working families and employers with sky-high energy bills.”
Katie Castellani is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts. Reach her at kcastellani@stateaffairs.com.
