Governor Maura Healey’s administration continues to resist natural gas infrastructure, even as a recent poll reveals that Massachusetts residents favor expanding gas pipelines over a full shift to renewable energy sources. This stance comes as federal efforts push to resurrect a pipeline project promising to slash utility bills by $1 billion, spotlighting a growing divide between the state’s leadership and its people.
Healey, a vocal advocate for green energy—particularly wind power—has faced mounting scrutiny this winter as utility costs spiked, driven by frigid weather and the state’s aggressive decarbonization policies. In response, she unveiled a strategy she claims will save taxpayers billions long-term, while directing the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to enforce a 5% cost reduction from utility providers for the rest of the heating season. Yet last fall, the DPU greenlit rate increases of over 30% for major gas suppliers Eversource and National Grid, leaving residents reeling from steep bills.
A fresh survey by the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, a nonpartisan oversight group, underscores this disconnect. Among 800 likely voters polled this month, 47% supported new gas pipelines into Massachusetts, while only 37% backed an all-in renewable energy approach. The respondents—48.2% Independent, 40.6% Democrat, and 11.1% Republican—reflect a broad cross-section of the state. Critics of Healey point to her past actions as attorney general, when she thwarted two pipeline proposals, as a root cause of today’s energy woes. “She took pride in blocking those projects during her campaign,” said Paul Diego Craney, head of Fiscal Alliance, in a Friday briefing. “Now, it’s catching up with her.”
To ease the burden, Healey recently announced a $50 credit for customers of Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil in April. Defending her record last Monday, she insisted her role as attorney general was to shield ratepayers, not obstruct progress. “A lot of what’s said about my pipeline stance just isn’t accurate,” she remarked. A 2015 study she commissioned argued that energy efficiency investments could sustain the grid without new pipelines through 2030—a finding that prompted Kinder Morgan to abandon a $3.3 billion project across Massachusetts and New Hampshire shortly after.
Healey’s latest plan also tasks the DPU with broadening discounted rates for low-income households and introducing tiered pricing, projecting $220 million in immediate savings and $5.8 billion over five years. Energy Secretary Rebecca Tepper, meanwhile, emphasized the state’s role in supplying natural gas regionally via a liquefied natural gas terminal in Everett. “We see price spikes for just a handful of days each year,” Tepper noted. “You don’t build a massive pipeline for that.” Her remarks drew swift backlash online, with the Massachusetts GOP calling the administration “out of touch” and vowing to end the “gaslighting” by 2026. State Rep. Marc Lombardo echoed this, blasting Healey and Tepper as “detached” and dismissive of residents’ struggles.
A governor’s spokesperson last month reiterated Healey’s success as AG in ensuring pipeline costs wouldn’t burden consumers, forcing companies to scrap their plans when public funding dried up. Still, this winter’s soaring delivery charges—linked to eco-programs like Mass Save, which advances the state’s emissions goals—have only fueled the debate.
Adding complexity, the Trump administration is working to revive a 124-mile pipeline from Pennsylvania to Albany, channeling gas into New England. Stalled by New York environmentalists in 2020, the project gained traction after Trump’s recent talks with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont also onboard. Trump touted potential savings of $2,500 to $5,000 per household on Truth Social, while an independent study pegged cost reductions at $1 billion. Healey, however, has raised concerns over Trump’s broader energy moves, including tariffs on Canada and a freeze on offshore wind projects—Massachusetts’ “Saudi Arabia of wind,” as she calls it. “That’s our game changer for lower bills,” she said last week, wary of reliance on volatile global markets.
As tensions simmer, Massachusetts residents face a stark choice: the administration’s renewable vision or a pragmatic return to gas. For now, the poll suggests voters lean toward the latter, setting the stage for a contentious energy battle ahead.
COMMENTARY:
Governor Maura Healey’s obsession with renewable energy, particularly wind power, as the cure-all for Massachusetts’ energy needs is nothing short of delusional. The idea that we can lean entirely on wind turbines to keep homes warm and lights on during a brutal New England winter is a fantasy ripped straight from a climate cult playbook. Winter storms here don’t mess around—subzero temperatures, ice, and howling winds can freeze turbines solid, grinding them to a halt when we need them most. Relying on them exclusively is like betting your paycheck on a coin toss during a blizzard.
And it’s not just the cold that’s a problem. Nor’easters—those monstrous storms that barrel up the coast—have a nasty habit of shredding wind turbines like they’re made of tissue paper. High winds, flying debris, and relentless battering can knock out entire arrays, leaving us in the dark while repair crews scramble in conditions no one should be working in. The evidence is clear: turbines fail spectacularly under extreme weather, yet Healey and her Democratic allies act like these are minor hiccups, not dealbreakers. It’s reckless, and Bay Staters are the ones paying the price with sky-high utility bills and shivering homes.
The insanity of this renewable-only push becomes even more glaring when you consider how inconsistent wind is. It doesn’t blow on command—sometimes it’s dead calm when demand peaks, like during a January deep freeze. Coal, gas, or nuclear can churn out power 24/7, but wind? It’s a diva that performs only when it feels like it. Healey’s betting on the “Saudi Arabia of wind” off our shores, but that’s a hollow boast when the grid can’t handle a week of storms. We’re not Saudi Arabia with oil gushing reliably—we’re Massachusetts, where nature calls the shots, and it’s not always kind.
Then there’s the cost. Wind infrastructure isn’t cheap to build, maintain, or replace after a Nor’easter rips through. Taxpayers and ratepayers foot the bill for this green dream, while Healey pats herself on the back for killing gas pipelines that could’ve kept energy affordable and reliable. Her administration’s own data shows utility costs soaring, yet she doubles down, claiming wind will save us. It’s a cruel joke—families are choosing between heat and groceries, and she’s out there preaching about offshore turbines like they’re magic wands.
I hope she loses her next election over this. Her policies aren’t just impractical—they’re borderline fanatical. She and her Democratic cronies have turned climate change into a religion, worshipping at the altar of renewables while ignoring the real-world fallout. Blocking natural gas pipelines, as she bragged about as attorney general, wasn’t some noble stand for ratepayers—it was a power play to appease the eco-zealots. Now, as governor, she’s forcing that same dogma on a state that can’t afford it, literally or figuratively.
The poll showing voters prefer gas pipelines over her renewable crusade is a wake-up call she’s ignoring. People aren’t stupid—they see the blackouts, feel the bill shock, and know wind alone won’t cut it. Healey’s dismissal of that sentiment, claiming critics are peddling “untrue” narratives, reeks of arrogance. She’s gaslighting us, pretending her past decisions aren’t haunting our present. I’d love to see her face the music in 2026 when voters, fed up with this climate cult nonsense, send her packing.
Her energy secretary, Rebecca Tepper, only adds fuel to the fire with her absurd claim that we shouldn’t build pipelines for “seven bad days a year.” Seven days? Tell that to the families huddled under blankets or the businesses bleeding cash when the grid falters. This isn’t a minor inconvenience—it’s a systemic failure baked into their wind-or-bust strategy. The Massachusetts GOP nailed it: this administration is out of touch, slapping residents in the face with sanctimonious drivel while energy prices climb.
Natural gas isn’t perfect, but it’s a hell of a lot more reliable than hoping the wind doesn’t ice up or blow itself apart. Pipelines could’ve eased the strain, lowered costs, and kept the heat on without breaking the bank. Instead, Healey’s ideology has us tethered to a system that collapses under pressure. The Trump-backed pipeline revival could’ve been a lifeline—$1 billion in savings isn’t pocket change—but she’d rather clutch her pearls over tariffs and wind moratoriums than admit she’s wrong.
This isn’t about denying climate change; it’s about facing reality. Renewables have a role, but going all-in on wind in a place like Massachusetts, with its punishing winters, is nuts. Healey’s cult-like devotion to this cause blinds her to the suffering it’s causing. Democrats love to paint themselves as saviors of the planet, but their policies here are punishing the people they claim to protect. It’s elitism dressed up as virtue, and it’s infuriating.
Come election day, I hope voters remember the cold nights, the insane bills, and the smug excuses. Healey’s tenure should end as a cautionary tale: govern with reason, not dogma. Her climate cult may cheer her on, but the rest of us—shivering and broke—are ready for a leader who doesn’t sacrifice us for a utopian windmill fantasy. Let’s boot her out and bring some sanity back to the Bay State.
ARTICLE:
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