Climate hawks pulled a win last week in Democrats’ ongoing tug-of-war between climate investments and short-term energy affordability.
The Massachusetts Senate on Wednesday rejected a bid by House Democrats to lower monthly energy costs by slashing $1 billion from Mass Save, the state’s energy efficiency program funded by utility bill charges. Earlier iterations of the legislation — which was introduced more than a year ago as Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s energy affordability bill — also contemplated nixing the state’s emissions targets and other climate policies.
Instead, Senate Democrats are betting their legislation can wring about $14 billion in savings over a decade by reforming utility practices, while largely keeping Massachusetts’ nation-leading renewable electricity and energy efficiency programs intact.
Massachusetts’ debate over a climate retreat echoes the soul-searching underway in Democratic-governed states across the country as lawmakers confront the dual pressures of rising energy costs and federal attacks on renewable energy. New York this year rolled back its landmark climate law, and California weakened its cap-and-trade system.
