Blame rising energy costs on state policies, not the utilities
Boston Globe|Laurie Belsito and Lisa Linowes|Dec 17, 2025
By our calculation, the cost of these state [climate] policies — including the Renewable Portfolio Standard, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, long-term renewable contracts, solar subsidies, and Mass Save — now exceeds $4 billion a year. None of this originates with utilities.
By our calculation, the cost of these state [climate] policies — including the Renewable Portfolio Standard, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, long-term renewable contracts, solar subsidies, and Mass Save — now exceeds $4 billion a year. None of this originates with utilities.
The Globe’s explanation of high energy bills downplays the central cause: Massachusetts’ own policy mandates (“Add-ons fuel jolt to energy charges: Political goals, costly projects power high rates,” Page A1, Dec. 7). These state-imposed surcharges are now the largest and fastest-growing costs on the utility bill — far bigger than anything driven by utilities.
Take Mass Save. The Globe cites a $2.69 “benefit” to residents for every dollar spent, but those benefits fail to lower bills for customers who don’t take advantage of the program. What customers actually pay are Mass Save surcharges, which everyone funds whether they participate or not. If the program truly reduced system costs, rates would be falling in aggregate. They aren’t.
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]The Globe’s explanation of high energy bills downplays the central cause: Massachusetts’ own policy mandates (“Add-ons fuel jolt to energy charges: Political goals, costly projects power high rates,” Page A1, Dec. 7). These state-imposed surcharges are now the largest and fastest-growing costs on the utility bill — far bigger than anything driven by utilities.
Take Mass Save. The Globe cites a $2.69 “benefit” to residents for every dollar spent, but those benefits fail to lower bills for customers who don’t take advantage of the program. What customers actually pay are Mass Save surcharges, which everyone funds whether they participate or not. If the program truly reduced system costs, rates would be falling in aggregate. They aren’t.
By our calculation, the cost of these state policies — including the Renewable Portfolio Standard, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, long-term renewable contracts, solar subsidies, and Mass Save — now exceeds $4 billion a year. None of this originates with utilities.
The article also frames rising transmission and distribution charges as possible "gold-plating," or "adding bells and whistles" to otherwise necessary projects, even though the Globe quotes Eversource's Doug Horton as saying these upgrades "enable everything the Commonwealth wants to do." ISO-New England confirms that grid expansion is required to meet state electrification and clean-energy mandates.
Rates will not fall until Massachusetts stops layering new mandate onto utility bills and decides which policies should be funded elsewhere. Until then, bills will continue to rise -- the structure guarantees it.