Proposed gas bill hikes plus four more stories

by CommonWealth Beacon staff December 13, 2025December 12, 2025

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Proposed gas bill hikes plus four more stories

by CommonWealth Beacon staff, CommonWealth Beacon
December 13, 2025

<h1>Proposed gas bill hikes plus four more stories</h1>
<p class="byline">by CommonWealth Beacon staff, CommonWealth Beacon <br />December 13, 2025</p>

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<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center header-block newsletter has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color" id="h-the-saturday-send">The Saturday Send</h2>
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<p>Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from <em>CommonWealth Beacon</em>&nbsp;that you may have missed.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This week, a utility company <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/healeys-energy-affordability-push-faces-test-in-one-of-massachusettss-poorest-communities/">asks for permission</a> to dramatically raise gas rates, and the MBTA's Phil Eng <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/transportation/interim-or-indefinite-no-end-in-sight-to-phil-engs-double-duty/">says he's open</a> to permanently remaining transportation secretary.</p>
<p>Plus: a legislative task force <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/health-care/primary-care-spending-proposal-sets-the-stage-for-legislative-action-in-2026/">recommends at least a doubling</a> of the share of health care spending on primary care, <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/mass-home-insurer-of-last-resort-sees-spike-in-enrollment/">new data on home insurance</a> in Massachusetts is turning heads across the industry, and the Mass. Municipal Association <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/government/local-government/municipalities-seek-big-batch-of-state-cash-to-navigate-financial-crunch/">recommends </a>a gargantuan increase in local aid and reforms to loosen — but not eliminate —  Prop 2½.</p>
<p>Check out those stories below, and, as always, thanks for reading.</p>
<p>— The&nbsp;<em>CommonWealth Beacon</em>&nbsp;team</p>
</p></div>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/healeys-energy-affordability-push-faces-test-in-one-of-massachusettss-poorest-communities/">‘Rate shock’: Healey’s affordability push meets a dramatic proposed gas bill hike</a></h3>
<h6 class="wp-block-heading has-normal-font-size">By <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/author/jwolman/">Jordan Wolman</a></h6>
<p>Liberty Utilities, which services a small southeastern pocket of Massachusetts,&nbsp;filed its rate hike request&nbsp;in June&nbsp;and is asking the Department of Public Utilities for permission to raise gas rates by about 55 percent on average.</p>
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<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-primary-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button" href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/healeys-energy-affordability-push-faces-test-in-one-of-massachusettss-poorest-communities/" style="border-radius:5px">READ MORE</a></div>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/transportation/interim-or-indefinite-no-end-in-sight-to-phil-engs-double-duty/">Phil Eng earns rave reviews for simultaneous MBTA, transportation chief jobs</a></h3>
<h6 class="wp-block-heading has-normal-font-size">By <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/author/clisinski/">Chris Lisinski</a></h6>
<p>The Healey administration seems content to have Phil Eng continue to work as both T general manager and interim transportation secretary for the foreseeable future, and Eng himself is warming up to the idea of holding both roles for a longer period of time.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-primary-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button" href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/transportation/interim-or-indefinite-no-end-in-sight-to-phil-engs-double-duty/" style="border-radius:5px">READ MORE</a></div>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/health-care/primary-care-spending-proposal-sets-the-stage-for-legislative-action-in-2026/">Primary care spending proposal sets the stage for legislative action in 2026</a></h3>
<h6 class="wp-block-heading has-normal-font-size">By <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/author/clisinski/">Chris Lisinski</a></h6>
<p>Pressure will rise on the Legislature to take action after a panel created to review primary care reforms coalesced around a “fundamental rebalancing” of how the state spends money on health.</p>
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<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-primary-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button" href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/health-care/primary-care-spending-proposal-sets-the-stage-for-legislative-action-in-2026/" style="border-radius:5px">READ MORE</a></div>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/mass-home-insurer-of-last-resort-sees-spike-in-enrollment/">Mass. home insurer of last resort sees spike in enrollment</a></h3>
<h6 class="wp-block-heading has-normal-font-size">By <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/author/jwolman/">Jordan Wolman</a></h6>
<p>Massachusetts’s home insurance market, officials and experts stressed,&nbsp;is&nbsp;in a much better place than other parts of the country. Still, signs of change are&nbsp;emerging.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-primary-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button" href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/mass-home-insurer-of-last-resort-sees-spike-in-enrollment/" style="border-radius:5px">READ MORE</a></div>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/government/local-government/municipalities-seek-big-batch-of-state-cash-to-navigate-financial-crunch/">Municipalities seek big batch of state cash to navigate financial crunch</a></h3>
<h6 class="wp-block-heading has-normal-font-size">By <a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/author/clisinski/">Chris Lisinski</a></h6>
<p>The Massachusetts Municipal Association rolled out a suite of requests for Beacon Hill, led by a $351 million increase in unrestricted aid the state pays to cities and towns, as communities navigate an increasingly bleak fiscal picture.</p>
<div class="wp-block-buttons">
<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-primary-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button" href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/government/local-government/municipalities-seek-big-batch-of-state-cash-to-navigate-financial-crunch/" style="border-radius:5px">READ MORE</a></div>
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://commonwealthbeacon.org/the-codcast/a-showdown-over-boston-property-tax-rates/">A showdown over Boston property tax rates</a></h3>
<p>This week on The Codcast, <em>CommonWealth Beacon</em> reporter <strong>Jennifer Smith</strong> talks with <strong>Greg Maynard</strong>, executive director of the Boston Policy Institute, as Boston the city council prepares for a Wednesday vote expected to raise taxes on single-family homes. Maynard says the administration is not moving quickly enough to inform the public about dire revenue forecasts or adopt new measures which could make up the difference.</p>
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Proposed gas bill hikes plus four more stories

CommonWealth Beacon staff, CommonWealth Beacon
December 13, 2025

The Saturday Send

Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. 

This week, a utility company asks for permission to dramatically raise gas rates, and the MBTA's Phil Eng says he's open to permanently remaining transportation secretary.

Plus: a legislative task force recommends at least a doubling of the share of health care spending on primary care, new data on home insurance in Massachusetts is turning heads across the industry, and the Mass. Municipal Association recommends a gargantuan increase in local aid and reforms to loosen — but not eliminate — Prop 2½.

Check out those stories below, and, as always, thanks for reading.

— The CommonWealth Beacon team

‘Rate shock’: Healey’s affordability push meets a dramatic proposed gas bill hike

By Jordan Wolman

Liberty Utilities, which services a small southeastern pocket of Massachusetts, filed its rate hike request in June and is asking the Department of Public Utilities for permission to raise gas rates by about 55 percent on average.

READ MORE

Phil Eng earns rave reviews for simultaneous MBTA, transportation chief jobs

By Chris Lisinski

The Healey administration seems content to have Phil Eng continue to work as both T general manager and interim transportation secretary for the foreseeable future, and Eng himself is warming up to the idea of holding both roles for a longer period of time.

READ MORE

Primary care spending proposal sets the stage for legislative action in 2026

By Chris Lisinski

Pressure will rise on the Legislature to take action after a panel created to review primary care reforms coalesced around a “fundamental rebalancing” of how the state spends money on health.

READ MORE

Mass. home insurer of last resort sees spike in enrollment

By Jordan Wolman

Massachusetts’s home insurance market, officials and experts stressed, is in a much better place than other parts of the country. Still, signs of change are emerging.

READ MORE

Municipalities seek big batch of state cash to navigate financial crunch

By Chris Lisinski

The Massachusetts Municipal Association rolled out a suite of requests for Beacon Hill, led by a $351 million increase in unrestricted aid the state pays to cities and towns, as communities navigate an increasingly bleak fiscal picture.

READ MORE

A showdown over Boston property tax rates

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Greg Maynard, executive director of the Boston Policy Institute, as Boston the city council prepares for a Wednesday vote expected to raise taxes on single-family homes. Maynard says the administration is not moving quickly enough to inform the public about dire revenue forecasts or adopt new measures which could make up the difference.

LISTEN NOW

Published by MassINC

This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Tracking snippet:

The Saturday Send

Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed.

This week, a utility company asks for permission to dramatically raise gas rates, and the MBTA’s Phil Eng says he’s open to permanently remaining transportation secretary.

Plus: a legislative task force recommends at least a doubling of the share of health care spending on primary care, new data on home insurance in Massachusetts is turning heads across the industry, and the Mass. Municipal Association recommends a gargantuan increase in local aid and reforms to loosen — but not eliminate — Prop 2½.

Check out those stories below, and, as always, thanks for reading.

— The CommonWealth Beacon team

‘Rate shock’: Healey’s affordability push meets a dramatic proposed gas bill hike

By Jordan Wolman

Liberty Utilities, which services a small southeastern pocket of Massachusetts, filed its rate hike request in June and is asking the Department of Public Utilities for permission to raise gas rates by about 55 percent on average.

Phil Eng earns rave reviews for simultaneous MBTA, transportation chief jobs

By Chris Lisinski

The Healey administration seems content to have Phil Eng continue to work as both T general manager and interim transportation secretary for the foreseeable future, and Eng himself is warming up to the idea of holding both roles for a longer period of time.

Primary care spending proposal sets the stage for legislative action in 2026

By Chris Lisinski

Pressure will rise on the Legislature to take action after a panel created to review primary care reforms coalesced around a “fundamental rebalancing” of how the state spends money on health.

Mass. home insurer of last resort sees spike in enrollment

By Jordan Wolman

Massachusetts’s home insurance market, officials and experts stressed, is in a much better place than other parts of the country. Still, signs of change are emerging.

Municipalities seek big batch of state cash to navigate financial crunch

By Chris Lisinski

The Massachusetts Municipal Association rolled out a suite of requests for Beacon Hill, led by a $351 million increase in unrestricted aid the state pays to cities and towns, as communities navigate an increasingly bleak fiscal picture.

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A showdown over Boston property tax rates

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Greg Maynard, executive director of the Boston Policy Institute, as Boston the city council prepares for a Wednesday vote expected to raise taxes on single-family homes. Maynard says the administration is not moving quickly enough to inform the public about dire revenue forecasts or adopt new measures which could make up the difference.

LISTEN NOW

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Proposed gas bill hikes plus four more stories

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