BOSTON, MA – Today, Marine Corps Veteran, successful business leader, and proven government reformer Brian Shortsleeve, Republican candidate for governor is blaming Gov. Maura Healey for proposed double-digit electrical rate hikes.
A proposed electrical rate increase of up to 17% for some residential customers is potentially adding $49 a month to household energy bills this winter. For others, the increase may reach 13%, or roughly $41 more per month. The hikes come as Bay Staters are already grappling with some of the highest utility costs in the country.
“This is the direct result of Healey’s reckless energy agenda and her blocking natural gas pipelines into Massachusetts,” said Shortsleeve. “Instead of ensuring reliable, affordable energy for Massachusetts residents, her administration has prioritized politically driven mandates and a costly climate agenda that has added substantial delivery fees.
“It’s unacceptable. Families and seniors across the Commonwealth are already stretched thin. Heating your home in the winter should never be a luxury,” said Shortsleeve.
Shortsleeve pointed to a pattern of policy failure, including the administration’s lack of urgency in expanding in-state energy infrastructure, obstructing pipeline development, and speculative green projects with unclear timelines or cost protections.
“As governor, I will put affordability and reliability first. That means taking a balanced approach to energy which will end the Healey delivery fees and build a gas pipeline. We need leadership that fights for ratepayers, not rubber-stamps costly ideologies,” Shortsleeve said.