WWLP: Governor Healey makes stop in Springfield to discuss plans for reducing energy costs
Governor Maura Healey and her energy team made a visit to Springfield to discuss plans to cut energy costs and save money for residents during the winter.
“I just want you to know that we are laser focused on this issue,” said Governor Maura Healey.
Governor Healey met with State and local leaders like Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and former Congressman Joe Kennedy at the Ray Jordan Senior Center Thursday evening to highlight a bill that aims to lower energy bills and reduce delivery charges. The Governor filed the ‘Energy Affordability, Independence and Innovation Act’ in May which promises more than $10 billion in savings over 10 years.
Officials say your bill right now is driven by two systems, “big towers there and the big power lines, such a transmission system. Then it goes to a place called the substation and it goes out to the distribution system, which are the power lines you see down the street,” said Kennedy.
Governor Healey says the charges to fund these systems are just getting more expensive. The state is looking to partner with ‘Citizens Energy’, a diversified renewable energy non-profit, that Kennedy is the president of. It uses a model that they’re implementing in California to provide benefits of capital investments back to ratepayers and communities and ultimately lower energy bills. It permits non-utility, non-profit entities to collaborate with ultilities and co-invest in various types of infrastructure projects.
“We’re going to make it so that citizens and organizations like citizens can make investments in these projects to bring them online more quickly. And then share the profits back in the savings with all of you who pay the bills,” said Governor Healey.
According to Kennedy, estimates alone for investments in the next ten years are over $30 billion.
“It will help leverage hundreds of dollars off people’s electric bills if we are able to implement this at scale across the entire Commonwealth,” said Kennedy.
Currently, there’s no timeline for this model as it’s still under legislation which has yet to be passed.
