Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is declaring a State of Energy Emergency as residents prepare for another expensive winter, announcing nearly $150 million in relief intended to lower utility and heating costs. Healey is placing much of the blame on President Donald Trump and his administration, but critics are firing back by arguing that decisions made within Massachusetts have also contributed to the state’s high energy prices.
The Democratic governor says her latest actions will expand heating assistance, help middle-class households pay for heating oil and temporarily remove certain charges from utility bills. The announcement immediately reignited debate over Massachusetts’ high energy costs, however, with critics pushing back on Healey’s decision to blame the Trump administration and arguing that her own policies have contributed to rising utility bills.
Healey announced the emergency on X as part of a package that her administration says will provide nearly $150 million in winter energy relief. The plan includes $50 million to remove certain public policy charges from residential electric bills for January and February, with the administration estimating that the change will save the average household approximately $40.
Another $45 million will expand eligibility for the state’s Home Energy Assistance Program to households earning between 60% and 80% of the state median income, potentially reaching about 20,000 households. Healey is also directing another $10 million towards assistance for middle-income residents who heat their homes with oil and another $10 million toward programs intended to help households reduce energy consumption.
The announcement comes as Healey simultaneously seeks additional national gas capacity for Massachusetts, with the governor recently asking the Trump administration to expedite federal review of an expansion of the Algonquin pipeline system. Her administration says the project could reduce costs for roughly 600,000 Massachusetts gas customers, while critics have contrasted that request with Healey’s previous opposition to proposed pipeline projects when she served as attorney general.
Healey has argued that federal policies under Trump are making energy more expensive by limiting clean-energy development and creating uncertainty around energy projects, while her administration says Massachusetts is pursuing both immediate relief and longer-term changes to lower costs. However, her critics dispute that explanation and instead point toward state energy policies, public policy charges, and previous decisions involving natural gas infrastructure as contributors to the prices residents currently face.
Comments and Reactions to Maura Healey’s Energy Emergency
Several commenters directly rejected Healey’s attempt to place responsibility on Trump. “You literally caused prices to go up. You also approve rate hikes,” one person responded, while another simply told Healey, “you’re such a LIAR !!!!“
Others focused specifically on Healey’s history with natural gas pipelines and questioned how it compares with her current push to increase gas capacity. One commenter brought up Healey’s previous statement that she had “stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state,” while another asked how she could declare an emergency over circumstances critics believe her own policies helped create.
The cost of the proposed package also became a part of the discussion, with another commenter writing, “Who pays for that?!” Rather than quieting concerns over rising energy costs, Healey’s announcement appears to have prompted a fresh wave of criticism, with some Massachusetts residents turning the blame back on the governor herself.
