The Saturday Send
Ratepayer revolt: Has the affordability debate soured Mass. on climate commitments?
By Chris Lisinski
Fighting climate change was once a badge of honor in Massachusetts, embraced by virtually all Democrats and even a lot of Republicans. But as households grapple with soaring energy bills, elected officials have become much more squeamish about the topic.
Two veteran Democrats sue to block all-party primary ballot question
By Chris Lisinski
A pair of Democratic state committee members want the state’s highest court to toss a ballot question that would shift state elections to an all-party primary system, teeing up a legal fight over a measure that could fundamentally reshape political power in Massachusetts.
Healey’s shift toward nuclear energy raises affordability, feasibility questions
By Jordan Wolman
The argument for nuclear is, in some ways, simple. It doesn’t generate greenhouse gas emissions and reliably produces power. But it’s no slam dunk either. Building new nuclear facilities is notoriously expensive and time-consuming.
Rent control opponents warn of $300 billion impact to local budgets
By Chris Lisinski
The real estate industry has a new line of attack in its campaign against rent control: the impact on property values, which could crumble and trigger difficult local decisions about cutting services or hiking taxes, according to a new report.
Competitiveness fears weave through budget hearings
By Jennifer Smith
“There is almost perfect correlation between expensive states and outmigration, and we are a very expensive state,” testified Eric Paley, Gov. Maura Healey’s secretary of economic development, at a budget hearing in in Barnstable.
How energy affordability in Massachusetts reached crisis mode
This week on The Codcast, we unpack how increasingly expensive utility bills are shaping the energy debate in Massachusetts and reaching a fever pitch on Beacon Hill. With energy costs now the top household concern in the Bay State, how should policymakers respond to the affordability crisis as power demand is expected to rise and with the due date on ambitious climate commitments creeping closer? Our guests, Kyle Murray, director of state program implementation in Massachusetts at the environmental nonprofit Acadia Center, and Dan Dolan, president of the New England Power Generators Association, hash it all out.
Published by MassINC