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Healy pledges to oppose Berkshire Gas rate hike, touts energy affordability bill
Summary
Governor Healy said his administration testified against a proposed Berkshire Gas rate increase that could raise bills "by as much as 25%," and he described an energy affordability bill filed with the legislature that he said would save ratepayers about $13,000,000 if passed. He also highlighted a new Power Forward program to help developers coordinate with utilities.
At the Pittsfield announcement, Governor Healy broadened the message to include energy affordability, saying residents and businesses are struggling with gas and electric costs and that his office is taking multiple steps to address those pressures.
Healy said he opposed Berkshire Gas' proposed rate increase and had "testified against it in January," warning the proposal could raise regional bills "by as much as 25%." He added, "I'm opposing this rate hike proposal in the strongest possible terms." He also said the administration had recently announced rebates — "25% off electric bills, 10% off gas bills for the next couple of months" — and is working to expand energy supply from sources such as hydro imports from Quebec, wind, solar and battery storage to reduce prices.
The governor said he filed an energy affordability bill with the legislature that, if passed, "will save rate payers $13,000,000," and said the administration will push back on "unnecessary charges on people's bills." He described a new program called Power Forward that assigns staff from the governor's office to work directly with housing developers and utilities to smooth connections for new housing projects. "If you're gonna build a housing, you gotta be able to hook up, you know, for gas and electric," he said, explaining the program's purpose.
No utility representative responded during the event; the governor said the administration would continue to oppose rate increases it deems excessive and pursue both near-term rebates and longer-term legislative and supply measures.
