Democrat Governor Who Sued Exxon Over Climate Change Asks Trump Administration To Fast-Track Gas Pipeline
Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who sued ExxonMobil over climate change, is pressing the Trump administration to speed approval of a gas pipeline expansion.
Healey asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright in a letter Thursday to ensure that federal reviews and permits for Enbridge’s Algonquin Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement (RARE) project “move without delay,” CommonWealth Beacon reported.
She also asked that “sufficient staff and resources are dedicated to completing the required reviews in time to preserve the project’s planned 2028 in-service date,” according to the outlet.
Marcellus Shale Coalition President Jim Welty said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation that New England’s energy affordability and reliability problems are “a direct result of politically motivated decisions to deny consumers in the region from accessing abundant and clean Pennsylvania natural gas.”
“Much of that pattern traces back to decisions made under then-Attorney General Healey, who openly celebrated stopping major natural gas pipeline projects that would have expanded access to affordable, reliable energy across the region,” Welty added. “We do appreciate Governor Healey’s belated awakening to this reality.”
“I stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state,” Healey said at an April 2022 WBUR gubernatorial candidate forum on energy and the environment, naming Kinder Morgan and Access Northeast.
“I think I’ve shown my willingness to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and also to oppose new gas infrastructure in this state,” she added.
The Boston Globe later noted that Healey’s office opposed both projects but was not solely responsible for stopping them. (RELATED: Senate Permitting Deal Could Give Opponents Just 150 Days To Sue Over Energy Projects Instead Of Six Years)
As attorney general, Healey sued ExxonMobil in October 2019, accusing the company of deceiving Massachusetts consumers and investors about climate change.
“Exxon has known for decades about the catastrophic climate impacts of burning fossil fuels—its chief product,” Healey said in a press release at the time.
Massachusetts’ highest court later rejected Exxon’s effort to dismiss the lawsuit, according to the attorney general’s office.
Enbridge spokesperson Melissa Sherburne said in a statement to the DCNF that the company appreciates “the Governor’s focus on solutions that deliver reliable, affordable energy for the Northeast.”
RARE is in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s pre-filing phase, and Enbridge expects to file its formal application with the commission by the end of October, Sherburne said, adding that the project remains on schedule.
Healey’s office, the Energy Department, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Massachusetts attorney general’s office and Eversource did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
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ExxonMobil is now a defendant in Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, a case in which Boulder, Colorado, and its surrounding county want oil companies to pay for local damage they attribute to climate change. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Monday, according to its docket. (RELATED: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Recuses Himself From Landmark Climate Case)
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell — Healey’s successor as the state’s chief prosecutor — joined 18 other attorneys general in an August brief backing Boulder, contending that the city and county’s state-law claims are not preempted by federal law, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office.
RARE would add 73,500 dekatherms of natural gas per day to Enbridge’s existing Algonquin pipeline system, according to CommonWealth Beacon.
State utility regulators estimated that the expansion would cut costs for roughly 600,000 Eversource customers by about $40 million annually for 10 years, largely by reducing the region’s reliance on pricier imported liquefied natural gas, the outlet reported.
In 2015, Healey’s office released a study that she said showed the state did not need more gas pipeline capacity to keep its power grid reliable.
“This study demonstrates that we do not need increased gas capacity to meet electric reliability needs, and that electric ratepayers shouldn’t foot the bill for additional pipelines,” Healey said in a November 2015 press release.
During an October 2022 debate, Healey argued that fighting the pipelines had spared residents “billions of dollars,” since the companies wanted customers to cover construction costs, according to CommonWealth Beacon.
“I said, no, if you’re going to build a pipeline, have your investors pay,” she said.
About half of New England’s power comes from natural gas, and Massachusetts residents pay about twice the national average for electricity, according to CommonWealth Beacon.
Environmental groups criticized the letter. Caitlin Peale Sloan, vice president for climate and energy at the Conservation Law Foundation, said it “unwittingly adopts the false narrative that expansion of gas infrastructure will lower heating costs,” according to the outlet.
Healey’s letter also signaled openness to Project Beacon, a larger Enbridge proposal about four times the size of RARE.
“There may be,” she wrote to Wright, “more opportunities ahead.”
“The Project Beacon Open Season was successful, and we are currently reviewing the proposals received and working with customers,” Sherburne said. “The strong level of participation demonstrates meaningful market interest in additional energy infrastructure that can support reliability and affordability in the Northeast.”
The larger proposal could boost the Algonquin system’s gas supply by up to 10 percent, with service possibly starting in 2030, CommonWealth Beacon reported.
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