With winter right around the corner, Gov. Maura Healey visited the Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center in Springfield to spread the news about an energy affordability bill she introduced in the spring.
The bill — called the “Energy Affordability, Independence & Innovation Act” — aims to save customers money, bring more energy into Massachusetts, increase accountability of the utilities and drive innovation.
“We know cold weather is coming, and that’s why we want to get out and get after it to do everything we can to lower your heating and electricity bill,” Healey said during her visit on Sept. 18. “That’s why I filed a major piece of legislation … to further lower costs by $13 billion.”
Introduced in May, the bill reduces the value of net metering credits for new large net metering facilities and phases out the Alternative Portfolio Standard charge, which costs ratepayers up to $60 million per year.
The legislation also allows Massachusetts to explore nuclear technologies and expand the state’s authority to procure new sources of energy generation, energy storage and demand response.
Additionally, the new bill authorizes the Department of Public Utilities or an outside firm to audit utilities’ management, and pledges to explicitly ban the use of ratepayer funds for advertising, lobbying, entertainment and other costs.
In all, the governor’s office claims that the bill will save Massachusetts customers approximately $10 billion over 10 years.
“That’s what we’re doing,” Healey said. “And we’ve got to act quickly because we’ve got a president that’s putting tariffs on everything.”
Healey’s bill comes several months after residents in multiple Western Mass. communities pushed back against “unprecedented spikes” in their energy bills.
Healey said part of her legislation will involve partnering with Citizens Energy, a Boston-based green energy nonprofit that sends money from oil and gas projects back into households.
Spearheaded by Joe Kennedy III, the nonprofit has delivered over $600 million in benefits back to low-income families across the country. Presently, Citizens Energy is the largest provider of low-income community solar in Massachusetts. They currently have multiple different projects out in California that helps bring savings to people’s energy bills, including one where 12,000 low-income households are receiving $300-a-year off their energy bills.
“What Gov. Healey’s team said was, ‘Hey, can we take the models you’ve done successfully in California … and do that here in Massachusetts,’” Kennedy III said.
Healey and Kennedy III were joined by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Mayor Domenic Sarno, state Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) and state Rep. Brian Ashe (D-Longmeadow), alongside Springfield state Reps. Angelo Puppolo, Bud Williams and Carlos Gonzalez at the Sept. 18 event. There was also a room full of seniors in attendance listening to the different components of the bill.
In his remarks, Sarno commended Healey and Driscoll for bringing these energy initiatives to Massachusetts.
“They will continue to fight for each and every one of you as we continue to work on common sense and pragmatic leadership to get things done and to tone down the noise,” Sarno said.
Williams also thanked the Healey administration for their efforts.
“We’ve got problems, but we’re going to fight,” Williams said. “Massachusetts always will stand up and fight for the people of the commonwealth of this nation.”
