Gov. Maura Healey is asking the Trump administration to hasten the expansion of natural gas into Massachusetts.
The governor sent a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday, urging the administration to move quickly on the federal reviews and permits required for the expansion of the Algonquin gas pipeline.
Healey’s request comes about a month before the general election where energy has emerged as a central theme in her reelection campaign against Republican Mike Minogue.
“On several occasions we have discussed our mutual desire to get more U.S. natural gas into New England to reduce reliance on higher-cost imported fuel and lower costs for customers,” her letter to Wright says.
Healey lent her support last September to Eversource’s proposal to lock in more natural gas for Massachusetts, saying she sees the fossil fuel as an important part of the state’s energy mix even as her administration presses forward with longer-term climate and decarbonization goals.
During her tenure as attorney general, Healey opposed new natural gas pipeline construction.
In January, the Department of Public Utilities approved two decade-long contracts for Eversource Energy to purchase additional natural gas from an upcoming expansion of the Algonquin Gas Transmission Pipeline. Subject to regulatory and government approvals, the company said it would reduce reliance on costly imported liquified natural gas and cut customer bills by roughly $400 million over ten years.
The Healey administration said Thursday the project is expected to provide gas supply to 600,000 gas customers. The governor says in her letter that the project, known as the Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement (RARE) Project, has a planned “in-service” date for 2028, and the two 10-year contracts begin Nov. 1, 2029.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission began its environmental review of the project in February and has since conducted public scoping, according to Healey’s letter.
After a historically cold and snowy winter last year, energy bills have been top of mind. Healey has made it an election-year priority and has been calling on lawmakers to finish work on a bill meant to help lower long-term energy costs.
Sam Drysdale is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts. Reach her at sdrysdale@statehousenews.com.
