Brian Shortsleeve for Massachusetts Calls for Permanent Rollback of State-Mandated Energy Fees and Failed Mandates Driving Up Costs
BOSTON, MA — Today, Republican candidate for governor Brian Shortsleeve blasted Governor Maura Healey’s proposal to temporarily buy down electric bills as an election-year gimmick that fails to address the real cause of skyrocketing energy costs: her own costly mandates and state-imposed fees.
“Utility bills didn’t explode by accident, they exploded because of Maura Healey’s policies,” said Shortsleeve. “Now, instead of owning the damage, she’s proposing a shell game to temporarily mask the problem until she gets through the election. That’s not leadership. It’s damage control.”
Shortsleeve noted that Healey’s so-called relief relies on paying for it with alternative compliance funds rather than eliminating the fees and mandates driving costs higher in the first place.
“Massachusetts doesn’t need half-measures, stopgaps, or election-year gimmicks,” Shortsleeve continued. “Families and small businesses need permanent relief, and that starts by rolling back the state-mandated utility charges and repealing energy mandates that don’t work and only raise prices.”
As governor, Shortsleeve pledged to put affordability ahead of ideology and take direct action to reduce energy costs across the Commonwealth.
“I’ll do what Maura Healey would not,” said Shortsleeve. “I’ll cut the fees. I’ll cut the mandates. And I’ll make energy affordable again for working families and small businesses.”