Despite the fact that they get the lion's share of coverage in the media, announcements of new climate programs by Governor Healey or clean energy laws passed by the State House are just pieces of paper. What turns these pieces of paper into real initiatives that can shut down coal plants, get solar projects connected to the power grid, and reduce utility bills, is the work of staff members at agencies like the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).

Here are some examples of the important work these agencies are doing:  

• DOER plays a leading role in energy procurement, the process in which the state’s utilities sign long-term power supply contracts with clean energy projects. These procurements are often a necessary step in getting large-scale clean energy projects, like offshore and onshore wind farms, built.
• The DPU oversees billions of dollars in annual spending by the Commonwealth’s investor-owned gas and electric utilities, like National Grid and Eversource. Those utilities have a strong profit motive and armies of legal and technical experts. It’s in the public’s interest to have a DPU well-staffed with its own experts to ensure utilities don’t overcharge ratepayers.  
• The DPU is also setting up a Division of Clean Energy and Resilience Engineering which aims to improve how resilient our electric grid is, which can help reduce blackouts, and increase coordination between the state’s gas and electric utilities, which can help the Commonwealth reduce its dependence on polluting, and increasingly expensive, natural gas. 
•  MassCEC is an economic development agency that works to support the Commonwealth’s clean energy economy. As part of this effort, they have been investing in a wide variety of clean energy projects, running workforce training programs and supporting internships to make sure the state has the workers it needs to move away from fossil fuels.  

The work of these agencies is critical to ensuring the Commonwealth meets its climate goals, but turning laws into regulations, updating regulations, ensuring companies are following the rules, and running programs all take staff and money.  

That is why we support the Healey Administration’s proposal to increase DOER’s funding for fiscal year 2026 by $2.3 million, MassCEC’s funding by $10 million, and DPU’s funding by $4.6 million in the new budget.  These are good examples of how sometimes you need to spend money to save even more money. 

However, the budget still needs to get through the State House and, with plenty of departments and programs competing for funds, there is no guarantee that DOER or the DPU will get the increased funding they need. 

That is why we are asking you to take three minutes and reach out to your state representative and senator (you can find their contact info here) and ask them to support funding for DOER, MassCEC, and the DPU. Note that the budget won’t be passed until June (or maybe later), but the process has already started, and the next step is with the House Ways & Means Committee. Please ask your state representative to contact their colleagues on the Ways & Means Committee.  

The message can be delivered either by email or over the phone and can be as simple as:  

Hi, my name is NAME, I live in TOWN, and I am reaching out to ask you to make sure funding levels for the Department of Public Utilities, MassCEC, and the Department of Energy Resources aren’t reduced from what Governor Healey proposed. These agencies play an important role in fighting climate change and it is important that they have the resources they need. Thank you.

If you have any questions, please email Carrie@greenenergyconsumers.org.