New committee to help Massachusetts meet renewable energy goals

July 05, 2024 8:12 p.m. • Last updated: July 05, 2024 8:12 p.m.

FILE – Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey answers questions from reporters Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, after touring the Cass Recreation Complex in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. Healey announced this week the formation of a new panel to guide the state’s transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The Energy Transformation Advisory Council will include representatives from labor, business, financial and environmental justice organizations, as well as utilities, building owners and developers. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Boston — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced this week the formation of a new group to guide the state’s transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

The Energy Transformation Advisory Council includes representatives from labor, business, financial and environmental justice organizations, as well as utilities, building owners and developers.

The council will advise the newly created Office of Energy Transformation, which has been tasked with accelerating the state’s transition from gas to electricity in an affordable and responsible manner and preparing the electric grid to meet the state’s climate and clean energy mandates.

The bureau has already announced three of its main goals: moving away from the Everett Marine Terminal and its liquefied natural gas facility, decarbonizing how the state meets peak electricity demand and establishing alternative mechanisms to finance the clean energy transition.

Massachusetts has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.

The best way to achieve these goals, the Healey administration says, will be through the electrification of buildings and transportation powered by new, clean energy sources.

The mission of the Office of Energy Transformation is to ensure that the electric grid is affordably upgraded, that the state makes steady progress toward transitioning away from fossil fuels, and that workers and businesses that rely on fossil fuels for their livelihoods are supported during the transition.

“The future of clean energy will not happen if we operate in isolation,” Healey said in a written statement. “The Office of Energy Transformation and this new Advisory Council invite all stakeholders to come to the table, propose solutions and make real commitments to move us forward.”

The announcement follows the Massachusetts Senate’s approval last week of a bill to expand the adoption of renewable energy to help Massachusetts meet its climate goals, including achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Supporters of the proposal say it will help lower utility bills by requiring providers to offer reduced rates to low- and moderate-income consumers and by giving the state more flexibility to negotiate contracts with providers.

The bill would also ban “competitive electricity providers,” which have cost Massachusetts consumers more than $577 million over the past eight years, according to a report from the state attorney general’s office.