Massachusetts Gov. Healey’s gas pipeline stance reverse fires up critics: ‘Gaslighting us’

Gov. Maura Healey says she has never stopped gas pipelines from entering the state and that natural gas is an essential energy source in Massachusetts, a claim that has fired up critics who point to earlier remarks and say the governor is “gaslighting” them.

Gov. Healey has ordered the state Department of Public Utilities to eliminate as many extra charges from consumers’ bills as possible, saying that Bay State energy costs remain too high.

But in the eyes of critics, the excessive utility costs are directly tied to Healey’s opposition to gas pipelines and her decarbonization agenda. A video has resurfaced from 2022, when the then attorney general told an audience, “Remember, I stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state.”

After calling on utility regulators to initiate a “comprehensive review of gas and electric rates and charges,” Healey made a stance that critics argue contradicts her comments as attorney general.

“I have never stopped pipelines,” the governor told reporters last week. “What I did was I stood up for ratepayers and said that was a bad deal. … Our view was ‘No, you put it on the backs of shareholders.’ That’s what the court ultimately decided.”

“I have been clear: We need all forms of energy right now into the state to lower costs,” she added, “to bring more supply in. I have been supportive of gas.”

As AG, Healey authorized a study in 2015 that found Massachusetts didn’t need a new natural gas pipeline, as investing more in energy efficiency would ensure the electric grid’s reliability through 2030.

Shortly after, energy giant Kinder Morgan Inc. backed out of a $3.3 billion natural gas pipeline proposed through Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. The state Supreme Judicial Court also ruled that the project would have violated state law.

Sky-high energy bills became a main sticking point last winter when some consumers saw their home heating bills spike by upwards of 50%. Things didn’t improve much over the summer as some electric customers saw their rates jump by 12% or more.

New Bedford resident Elijah DeSousa founded the Citizens Against Eversource last winter. The group has brought light to how the through-the-roof costs were connected to increased funding for Mass Save, an initiative supporting Massachusetts’ “statutorily-required greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.”

Citizens Against Eversource is working to gather enough signatures for three questions that aim to reform the energy sector on the 2026 ballot. A primary goal of the measures is to “promote consent and transparency in utility billing.”

“Gov. Healey is literally gaslighting us,” DeSousa told the Herald. “The preposterous part is that she is trying to use the DPU as a scapegoat. … We know that as Governor, she is the source of every single excessive charge on our utility bills.”

The governor’s office told the Herald on Sunday that Healey takes an “all-of-the-above approach to energy sources,” and that she has “always prioritized ratepayer impacts and system reliability.”

The office also highlighted that Healey, as AG, supported a $972 million project that increased the natural gas capacity on the Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline system, bringing the Bay State additional natural gas from the Appalachian Basin.

In September, the governor signaled support for Eversource’s proposal to lock in more natural gas for Massachusetts by expanding the Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline even further.

Eversource has said the proposal would reduce reliance on costly, imported liquefied natural gas from the Everett Marine Terminal, cutting customer bills by roughly $400 million over 10 years.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve told the Herald that it appears that Healey is “rewriting history” as she has flip-flopped her positions on natural gas over the years.

“All you have to do is listen to her own words when she said, ‘Remember, I stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state,’” Shortsleeve said in a statement. “She was lying then, or she is lying now, and as utility bills skyrocket, she is praying voters don’t remember.”

Fellow GOP candidate Mike Kennealy echoed Shortsleeve, accusing the governor of lying.

“I’ll make sure every voter in this Commonwealth remembers what she did,” he said in a statement.

The state’s major gas companies have again warned of increased heating costs for this coming winter, with some customers facing a 17% spike in gas prices.

Healey has said it’s up to DPU to “act aggressively” to help consumers with their bills. “The department must continue to rigorously review utility rate cases to avoid unnecessary spending and drive down costs,” she wrote in a letter to the department last week.

The governor is also calling on the DPU to move ahead with outstanding solar permitting, which would expand electric supply to the state’s grid. The plan, Healey said, looks to provide enough power to equal an entirely new gas-powered electric plant.

Last winter, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper highlighted how Massachusetts provides a “significant amount of natural gas to the entire region” through the liquefied natural gas facility in Everett.

“The issue that we have in New England is that for a few days of the year, prices are high, maybe seven days,” Tepper said, catching sharp criticism. “You don’t build a gigantic pipeline for seven days a year.”

The watchdog Fiscal Alliance Foundation conducted a poll of roughly 800 Bay Staters last winter that showed likely voters viewing an expansion of natural gas pipelines more favorably than a full commitment to renewables.

The Fiscal Alliance has also warned that residents and businesses can “expect electricity rates to double, along with rolling blackouts” under a plan to reduce carbon emissions by at least 80% by 2050, and when Massachusetts is required to hit net zero.

“Gov. Maura Healey created this environment for higher utility costs,” Executive Director Paul Diego Craney told the Herald. “She bragged about shutting down natural gas. … These higher energy costs are a direct result of Governor Healey’s climate mandates and her Administration’s insistence (on enforcing) them.”