Massachusetts Energy Cost Crisis: Governor Demands Action as State’s Push To Phase Out Natural Gas Leads to Soaring Utility Bills

The Massachusetts Governor is calling out the state’s Department of Public Utilities over astronomically high energy bills after a series of recent rate hikes meant to help reduce the state’s dependency on natural gas in the name of combatting climate change.Lawmakers in the Bay State and other democratic strongholds like Illinois and Washington State have been pushing for reduced gas usage in recent years to fight climate change, but consumers appear to be footing the bill for such initiatives.In a letter to the DPU chairman, Jamie Von Nostrand, Massachusetts’ governor, Maura Healey, said that she was “deeply troubled” by taxpayers’ sky high utility bills in her state.“Winter isn’t over,” Ms. Healey wrote in the letter. “The DPU and the gas utilities must act now to provide relief from these high rates and make the changes necessary to ensure that this does not happen again next winter.”The rate hikes were enacted at the beginning of last November by Eversource and National Grid, the commonwealth’s largest energy providers, which raised their rates between 23 and 30 percent.“While the DPU cannot control all the drivers, you and the gas utilities have an obligation to do all you can to help consumers reduce bills and avoid future large, unanticipated price spikes like this,” Ms. Healey wrote in her letter to Mr. Von Nostrand.Her call to provide relief for energy consumers echoes a letter sent to Mr. Von Nostrand on Sunday, which was penned by a coalition of 22 state senators who urged the DPU to hold Eversource and National Grid accountable.“Constituents across our districts have shared alarming reports of skyrocketing energy costs with bills doubling,” the letter reads. The average power bill in the commonwealth has climbed to around $356 a month, 47 percent higher than the national average. In their letter to Mr. Von Nostrand, the senators cite one example where one state resident saw their Eversource bill climb to $449.91 — nearly $300 of which was attributed solely to supply costs.”The lawmakers allege that profits are being prioritized over the well-being of the state’s residents and small businesses.“Eversource has attempted to blame these spikes on colder temperatures, increased usage, and rate adjustments,” the letter says. “Yet many customers who have kept their thermostats at consistent levels are still seeing drastic hikes, raising serious concerns about the fairness and necessity of these increases.”Eversource has said that the increases, which the DPU approved in October, can be attributed to high demand from colder temperatures this winter and more expensive natural gas due to supply restraints and global demand. They also cite the need to invest in programs that “help the Commonwealth achieve its greenhouse gas reduction goals,” according to CBS News.In 2023, Massachusetts became the first state to enact a plan to phase out the use of natural gas to heat homes and has encouraged an eventual transition to electricity for heating and other functions like stovetop cooking. The goal is to have net zero carbon emissions by 2050.Since then, 11 other states, including Washington, DC, have also explored phasing out their dependency on natural gas.In 2024, Washington state passed legislation requiring utilities to transition from natural gas. In the wake of the measure, major utilities in that state also have requested approval for price increases.Cascade Natural Gas proposed a 12.4 percent increase in March of that year, followed by an additional 2 percent to take effect in 2026. Puget Sound Energy also filed a request for rate increases, and customers saw a 12 percent hike at the start of 2025 and will see an additional 1.5 percent in 2026.This year, Illinois introduced a pair of bills focused on mandates for energy storage and renewable energy development, and rate hikes have already been proposed across the state as a result. Nicor Gas, the largest gas utility in the state, filed a proposal last month for an overall rate hike of $309 million, the largest in Illinois history. Ameran Illinois also proposed a rate hike of more than $134 million.Consumer advocates and regulators have opposed the increases due to affordability concerns for low-income customers. The Illinois Commerce Commission is reviewing the hikes and will decide by the end of 2025.

Massachusetts Energy Cost Crisis: Governor Demands Action as State’s Push To Phase Out Natural Gas Leads to Soaring Utility Bills

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