When House Democrats first floated a plan to take the teeth out of the state’s next big deadline for slashing greenhouse gas emissions, Gov. Maura Healey did not have much to say about it.

Instead, she wanted to talk about reducing household electricity and gas costs.

“I haven’t seen the outlines of any specific plan on that,” she said in November, three days after CommonWealth Beacon broke the news that Rep. Mark Cusack, the House point person on energy, wanted to rework a huge energy affordability bill the governor filed by weakening the state’s 2030 decarbonization mandate. “There are other things in that legislation that will, right now, help us reduce energy costs,” Healey said. “That’s what we’ve got to focus on. That’s what we’ve got to do.”

Facing strong blowback to Cusack’s plan, House leaders abandoned the idea of gutting the emission reduction mandates and pivoted to another idea that would have seemed out of bounds only a few years ago: slashing $1 billion from the Mass Save energy efficiency program.

Healey again skirted the issue — “I’ve got to take a look at it,” she said when the new House idea emerged — and stuck to her message. “I’m really glad to see this energy affordability bill move forward,” she said. “We’ve got to get this done.”

If Healey seems laser-focused on energy costs these days, she is hardly alone. It’s part of a new political calculus on climate and energy policy, one that reflects a striking turnabout, in Massachusetts and beyond.

For many Massachusetts Democrats, never mind those Republicans here who once shared their outlook, fighting climate change has faded from a badge of honor to an often-avoided topic as frustration over soaring utility bills reaches a fever pitch — and as reelection campaigns kick into gear.

Now that federal opposition from the Trump administration and spiking infrastructure costs have dropped massive barriers along the path to a clean-energy future, climate activists are finding it harder to get elected officials to talk about cutting emissions. Aggressive promises to curb greenhouse gases have been replaced by second-guessing deadlines previously put in place to meet those vows. And it’s happening as polls suggest a weakening of voter support for climate action.

The shift has left many veteran activists frustrated and pondering a question with long-term impacts: Is this just a temporary dip in support for clean energy, or a permanent reshaping of political will?

“The conversation has changed. A lot of people are less likely to bring up climate on their own,” said Kyle Murray, Massachusetts state director for the Acadia Center, a climate advocacy organization. “Affordability, as anyone who pays attention to this stuff can see, has become the name of the game.”