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BOSTON — Environmental groups are urging incoming Gov. Maura Healey to double down on a push to electrify buildings across the state to help ratchet down greenhouse gas emissions and meet aggressive climate change goals.

In a letter to Healey's transition team, the groups call on her administration to prioritize electric heating solutions for buildings with heat pumps, geothermal and other alternatives to natural gas, beginning with the inventory of state owned buildings.

"We are at a crossroads, and the energy choices the incoming Healey administration makes today will decide whether or not we deliver an equitable transition to a clean energy future that ensures the health, safety, and economic prosperity of all Bay Staters," they wrote.

The coalition, which includes the Sierra Club, Conservation Law Foundation and Acadia Center, recommends that the Healey administration revisit the "future of gas" blueprint, establish a statewide electrification code for cities and towns and builders and partner with business and labor leaders to build a clean energy workforce.

Overall, they want any plans to prioritize funding for low- to moderate-income households to ensure "equitable" electrification. 

The groups claim the natural gas industry is misleading policymakers and the public with "false promises" about the potential for renewable natural gas, hydrogen and other alternative fuels to decarbonize the gas system.

"These efforts are designed to secure funds for dead-end pipeline infrastructure projects that are destined to fail, while putting customers on the hook for billions of dollars worth of stranded assets for decades to come," they wrote.

In May, Healey released a report calling on the state Department of Public Utilities to reject utilities’ proposed “future of gas” plans that are being reviewed by regulators.

Healey’s office specifically cited proposals to expand the use of “clean alternatives” to natural gas “such as hydrogen and other methane-based gases.”

The environmental groups said energy consumers in the state are facing "staggeringly high energy bills" they claimed are tied to "a sharp rise in fossil fuel prices and the threat of grid instability due to an over-reliance on natural gas."

"As a result, more and more Bay Staters are struggling with the high cost of home heating, too often falling into arrears on their utility bills," they wrote.

Massachusetts has enacted some of the toughest environmental regulations in the country with a goal toward reaching “net-zero” greenhouse gas emissions related to 1990 levels by 2050.

A 2021 law signed by Gov. Charlie Baker requires the state to accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels to cleaner energy as part of an effort to meet its ambitious benchmarks to reduce carbon emissions.

Large commercial buildings account for 27% of greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts, according to state environmental data.

Industry officials argue that that the state will continue to need natural gas for a large portion of its energy needs, even as it turns to more renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydropower. 

Roughly half of New England’s energy comes from natural gas, according to ISO New England, which oversees the regional power grid.

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

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