Two years ago, Massachusetts regulators created a framework for phasing out the use of natural gas in buildings – a groundbreaking move for the state’s decarbonization efforts. today, however, momentum has slowed as gas companies clash with lawmakers, regulators, and advocates on a essential question: Are utilities legally obligated to provide gas service to any consumer who wants it?
The debate may seem arcane, but at stake is the speed and scope of Massachusetts’ clean energy transition – and one of the nation’s first major attempts at a managed shift away from gas.
National Grid, Eversource, and other gas utilities say the answer is a resounding yes. The ability of residents and businesses to choose gas service is a “fundamental right,” said Eversource spokesperson Olessa Stepanova: “We cannot force them off that service.”
On the other side of the argument, advocates contend that safeguarding public health and fighting climate change are urgent benefits that outweigh individual customers’ personal preferences for one kind of fuel. The obligation, in their view, is to provide functional heating – not a specific source. The utilities, they say, are looking for ways to delay an unavoidable upheaval in their industry rather than collaborating on a smooth transition.
“They see this as an existential threat to their business model,and they are digging in. They’re not at the table,” said James Van Nostrand,who chaired the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities when it issued the 2023 order,and who is now policy director at The Future of Heat Initiative.
Massachusetts has long been a leader in pushing for a transition away from using natural gas and other fossil fuels to heat buildings and to fuel stoves and dryers.
In October 2020, the state was one of the first in the nation to launch a “future of Gas” i