The Massachusetts House on Thursday voted to cut $1 billion from the state’s flagship energy efficiency program in a bid to lower utility bills.
The legislation would leave Mass Save, which is funded via charges on electricity and gas bills, with about $3.5 billion for the rest of its three-year budget cycle ending in 2027. The bill also would refund to ratepayers 70 percent of alternative compliance payments, which utilities pay in lieu of meeting the state’s renewable energy benchmarks.
The Democratic-led House voted 128-27 to pass the bill and send it to the Senate, where environmentalists hope to reverse at least some of the energy efficiency cuts. Green groups already pressured House Democrats to drop from the bill a retreat from the state’s climate goals, and they argued the cuts to Mass Save would be counterproductive to lowering energy costs.
The bill — part of Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s energy affordability package — comes as Democratic-led states grapple with how to balance their climate targets against the twin challenges of surging prices and the Trump administration’s opposition to renewable energy. That soul-searching has been especially acute in the Northeast, where President Donald Trump’s attacks on offshore wind have made it especially hard to transition away from fossil fuels.
