Massachusetts Supreme Court Rejects Plan to Subsidize Gas Pipelines #ClimateChangeVictory

On August 17,the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court did what the Massachusetts Senate and a majority of the State House had previously attempted–stop Governor Baker’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU) from requiring electricity ratepayers to pay for gas pipelines.This ruling, along with the Court’s previous one upholding the requirement to meet the Global Warming Solutions Act, will help Massachusetts move more quickly to a clean, renewable energy future. The $3 billion that would have gone to out-of-state corporations for fracked gas pipelines can now be spent here in Massachusetts on projects such as energy efficiency, energy conservation, and clean power sources like solar and wind.

“Forcing consumers to pay for more fossil fuels, with full knowledge of the ever-increasing havoc wrought by climate change, is reckless,” noted Massachusetts Sierra Club Chair Cathy Buckley. “Many thanks to Attorney General Healey, not only for standing with CLF in this action, but also for her 2015 study which confirmed that we do not need these new pipelines.”

The Massachusetts Sierra Club looks forward to working with the General Court, the Baker Administration, our partner organizations, and our members in moving swiftly toward home-grown, clean energy sources.

“There is a great deal of talk from Governor Baker, Speaker DeLeo, and the utilities about trying to keep our electricity rates low,” said Massachusetts Sierra Club Director Emily Norton. “This attempt to require ratepayers to assume this risky pipeline cost belies those words.”

The lawsuit, was brought by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) on behalf of Massachusetts residents.