As Arctic blasts drop temperatures across New England, Massachusetts residents can feel some relief that their state is stalling on its costly “Clean Heat Standard.”
Trying to reach net-zero emissions, regulations initially enacted in 2021 require utilities to phase out natural gas, oil and propane as heating sources, replacing them with more expensive alternatives like electric-powered heat pumps.
For a state that already has some of the nation’s highest electricity prices, and no shortage of snow days, this was a chilling and unrealistic mandate.
Luckily for ratepayers, it’s an election year, and Gov. Maura Healey (D) wants to get reelected. (She officially announced her bid for a second term on Tuesday.) So it’s no surprise that her administration is postponing the implementation of the “Clean Heat Standard” from 2026 to “no earlier than 2028.”
The Healey administration acknowledges this delay is necessary “to ensure there is a robust market for affordable clean heat.”
This isn’t the first time the governor has bowed to reality. When she was attorney general, Healey often bragged about blocking two natural gas pipelines. Now she’s downplaying that part of her record and trying to scapegoat utility companies for higher prices.
Following California’s lead on climate policy, in 2023 Massachusetts required auto manufacturers to increase the percentage of electric cars they sold in the state. In May, Healey postponed that policy so it does not apply to 2026 and 2027 models.
This kind of delay tactic allows progressives to campaign on “affordability” without having to commit the cardinal sin of disavowing impractical climate orthodoxy.
Alas, the state’s aggressive climate mandates mean that Massachusetts residents will be stuck footing the bill either way. In 2021, former governor Charlie Baker (R) signed a bill to require the state reach net-zero emissions by 2050, with an interim benchmark of halving emissions by 2030. Some in the state legislature wisely want to make these goals nonbinding, but these efforts are stalled.
Other blue states like New York have also backtracked on climate mandates once the bill comes due. Better late than never.
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