Governor asks DPU to review every charge on utility bills and unveils faster solar rollout

Governor said today he has asked the state Department of Public Utilities to "go through every line and every charge" on gas and electric bills to identify fees that can be removed or reduced and to scrutinize current rate increase proposals.

"Every dollar has to be justified," Governor said, calling the DPU review "the first time" the agency has been asked to conduct a line‑by‑line examination and urging it to act with urgency so customers see relief. He said administration staff will be testifying in Fall River on a proposed Liberty rate increase to press those concerns.

The governor framed the review as part of a broader energy affordability agenda the administration launched earlier this year. He said the state took about $220 million off customer bills last spring and estimated the administration’s combined actions could save roughly $6 billion for electric and gas customers over five years. "That's some of the action that we took already this year to get at lowering people's bills," he said.

On supply, the governor said the state needs "all forms of energy" to bring down costs and cited natural gas, wind, solar, hydro and advanced nuclear and fusion research. He noted a new partnership with the University of Massachusetts Lowell to pursue advanced nuclear and fusion work aimed at affordable power and jobs.

Separately, the governor announced an emergency regulatory change to speed solar development and described a program he said will return about $300 million in savings and benefits to customers each year. "This program begins accepting applications for development starting tomorrow," he said, and set a target to build roughly 900 megawatts of solar over the next year—an amount he characterized as "the equivalent of one power plant." The governor said the administration acted with urgency in part because of anticipated rollbacks of federal tax credits.

The governor faulted federal policy moves—including tariffs and changes to renewable tax incentives—for raising costs, and urged the federal government to avoid actions that limit supply or increase prices. Those statements reflected the governor's policy position; the state request to DPU is a direction to the regulator rather than a binding rule change.

Secretary Tepper, speaking later, said increases are being driven by infrastructure and supply costs and reiterated the need to review how utilities spend infrastructure dollars. "We took some money out from Mass Save," Tepper said, describing the state’s earlier adjustments to that program.

What happens next: the DPU will determine whether to open an inquiry or proceeding in response to the governor’s request and whether any changes can be implemented this winter. The governor called for immediate action but did not set a formal DPU deadline.