November 10, 2026
FOR MANY MASSACHUSETTS families, their energy bill is not an abstract policy issue. When energy costs rise, households may have to make painful tradeoffs between keeping the heat on, buying groceries, filling a prescription, or paying rent. As the leader of a trade association representing the natural gas industry, I am watching with growing concern as Massachusetts policymakers promise a clean, affordable energy future, while proposing policies that make both goals unattainable.
Leaders in Boston say they share their constituents’ affordability concerns – yet the state Senate’s energy legislation, S. 3143, undermines the infrastructure investments needed to provide safe, reliable, and affordable energy at lower cost.
Natural gas powers more than half of the electricity generation in New England. It is also the primary way Massachusetts residents choose to heat their homes. It is the reliable, dispatchable fuel that balances intermittent solar and wind, especially on the coldest days when renewables underdeliver and demand peaks.
Yet for years, the Commonwealth has blocked or delayed critical pipeline expansions. These constraints have real consequences: diminished reliability for power plants, moratoria on new gas hookups in parts of the state, and higher energy prices. In fact, Massachusetts has some of the highest electricity prices in the country; our residential rates are approximately 56 percent higher than the national average. Yet despite our region’s high energy prices, natural gas remains the most affordable option for home heating.
Instead of addressing these constraints, pending Senate legislation doubles down on costly energy policies and seeks to phase out the Gas System Enhancement Program (GSEP), a crucial program enacted to address Massachusetts’ aging leak-prone natural gas infrastructure, which is among the oldest in the nation.
The legislation frames such investments as “unnecessary and expensive,” but the need to replace aging infrastructure does not disappear because policymakers want to accelerate the energy transition. Pipes continue to age, safety obligations remain, and customers still depend on the system every day. Indeed, new research from the Blacksmith Group shows investments in pipeline infrastructure through programs like GSEP have been effective in ensuring the gas system operates safely. Instead of investing in the existing, dependable, and affordable natural gas system, the legislation would hasten the transition away from Massachusetts’ most affordable fuel.
Why This Matters for Massachusetts Consumers
Massachusetts has invested heavily in wind, solar, transmission upgrades, and storage to meet its decarbonization goals. Yet in 2025, renewable energy made up less than one-fifth of New England’s electric grid. Further, several major renewable projects have been delayed or cancelled. These developments underscore the need for a balanced approach to meeting future energy demand.
The Senate’s proposal claims over $14 billion in savings by avoiding gas infrastructure investments. Yet analyses of similar policies project far higher overall costs for families and businesses. This isn’t an affordable, smooth transition away from fossil fuels. Rather, these policies will drive up energy bills, manufacturers will lose competitiveness, small businesses will suffer, and housing costs will rise.
Past decisions to block natural gas infrastructure have left Massachusetts vulnerable to the price spikes experienced last winter, a reminder of what happens when energy demand outpaces infrastructure investments. The Senate’s proposal doubles down on this strategy, and risks repeating the same mistakes that got us here.
A Better Approach for Massachusetts
While the Senate claims savings primarily by phasing out natural gas infrastructure investments, the House’s energy legislation (H.5175) offers a more balanced approach. Rather than dismantling our reliable gas system, the House bill finds savings by trimming overhead and expanding energy procurement. Gov. Healey also supports an all-of-the-above approach to meet the state’s growing energy demand.
This pragmatic path prioritizes affordability and reliability over rapid gas phase-outs. As policymakers consider the path forward, they should favor reforms that align with the real-world need for affordable, reliable energy.
Natural gas is not an obstacle to a clean energy future; it is the proven, affordable, lower-emission backbone that supports renewables with flexible, around-the-clock power. Massachusetts should pursue a genuine all-of-the-above energy strategy: preserve safe, reliable natural gas infrastructure while advancing clean technologies where they make sense.
By prioritizing affordability, reliability, and emissions reductions together, the Commonwealth can build an energy system that works for today’s families and tomorrow’s goals. Affordable energy, reliable energy, and lower emissions should advance together. Massachusetts needs policies that recognize the value of an all-of-the-above energy strategy and deliver all three.
That’s the balanced approach that Massachusetts families, businesses, and communities deserve.
José Costa is president and CEO of the Northeast Gas Association.
Courtesy of Commonwealth Beacon
