Mass. Attorney General Admits Intention To Ban Fossil Fuels

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called on the state’s Department of Public Utilities to investigate “the future of the natural gas industry” in Massachusetts this week, alleging that the use of the fuel didn’t align with the state’s 2050 climate goals.

While such a claim is confusing, considering the role of natural gas in mitigating carbon emissions and the state’s significant reliance on the fuel, it was made all the more shocking by Attorney General Healey’s reasoning:

“In order to combat the climate crisis and meet our clean energy goals, we must transition away from fossil fuels and change the way gas utilities do business in our state,” Attorney General Healey said. “We want the DPU to take a close look at the future of the natural gas industry in Massachusetts and make the policy and structural changes we need to ensure a clean energy future that is safe, reliable, and fair.” (emphasis added)

With that statement, the attorney general just said the quiet part out loud.

Admittedly, Healey has made statements in support of a “clean energy transition” before, but this serves as the starkest example of her true intention: banning fossil fuels by using whatever tools are available to her.

This intention is most notable in how it relates to Healey’s lawsuit against ExxonMobil.

Filing suit against the company in October 2019, the attorney general claimed that her office brought the lawsuit on the basis of the company’s alleged “deceptive marketing” and “campaign to mislead both consumers and investors.”

Attorney General Healey’s most recent comment, however, underscores that the lawsuit is, in reality, an attempt to stop the company from producing oil and natural gas.

In fact, the Massachusetts complaint even hints at her true motivation, with Healey stating:

“The gravity of ExxonMobil’s historic and continuing unlawful actions cannot be overstated; the world lost forty critical years to develop and deploy new technologies that would allow an orderly transition away from fossil fuels,” (emphasis added)

This is further bolstered by other efforts undertaken by the Massachusetts attorney general’s office.

For example, in a December 2017 hearing on Attorney General Healey’s investigation into ExxonMobil, the counsel from the attorney general’s office stated that the company should include climate warnings on all of its advertising – including on gas pumps.

Massachusetts Relies on Natural Gas

In addition to exposing her true intentions, Healey’s call for an investigation into Massachusetts natural gas utilities and lawsuits against companies like ExxonMobil could have devastating effects for the state, which heavily relies on the fuel.

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), Massachusetts generates 67 percent of its electricity from natural gas.

EIA also states that “more than half of the households in the state rely on natural gas as their primary energy source for home heating” – a crucial resource in a state that experiences very cold winters.

Yet there is fierce opposition to natural gas pipelines and other infrastructure from politicians like Healey and environmental activists, which has resulted in the stalling of new pipeline development in the region.

This opposition comes at a price. When temperatures dropped in 2018 and faced with limited supply due to pipeline constrictions, the state was forced to import natural gas from Russia – an action Healey said she prefers when compared to using domestically produced natural gas transported via pipeline.

In short, Attorney General Healey’s recent comment shows her true intention is to ban oil and natural gas use in the state, even if that means bringing unfounded allegations against producers or relying on foreign adversaries like Russia to keep the lights on.

Read more at EID Climate