Republican Blocks Massachusetts Democrat Plan to Forcibly Remove Natural Gas Connections
A horrible bill that empowers state regulators to “terminate [natural gas] service to consumers so long as they have access to ‘safe, reliable, and affordable alternatives
Sen. Successfully Blocks MA Dem Bill to Remove NatGas for 2nd Day
ANTI-DRILLING/FOSSIL FUEL | INDUSTRYWIDE ISSUES | PIPELINES | REGULATION
June 24, 2024
Last week, we told you about a modern-day Paul Revere, a Republican Senator from Massachusetts who single-handedly blocked a horrible bill that empowers state regulators to “terminate [natural gas] service to consumers so long as they have access to ‘safe, reliable, and affordable alternatives’” (see Republican Blocks Mass. Democrat Plan to Forcibly Remove NatGas). Sen. Ryan Fattman, from Sutton, used a procedural tactic to delay debate of the bill by one day to allow Senators to read and understand what is contained in this horrible bill. Fattman’s delay pushed the bill back from last Thursday to Friday. On Friday, Fattman was able to do it again, pushing the bill off for debate (and a vote) until at least Tuesday (tomorrow). Will it be enough time to stop Massachusetts from plunging into the energy abyss?
A Senate Republican stopped a broad climate bill from advancing Friday for the second day in a row but struck a deal with Democrats to allow full debate on the proposal to take place on Tuesday, a move the conservative argued bought lawmakers more time to review the large bill.
Resistance to climate legislation Senate Democratic leadership unveiled Monday has grown over the past week as labor unions and Republicans took issue with language in the proposal targeting natural gas, including ending a program to replace aged infrastructure.
Sen. Ryan Fattman, a Sutton Republican who first blocked the bill Thursday, said his concerns around the “esoteric” bill were still not satisfied and he wanted to buy all 40 members of the Senate more time to review the proposal and the more than 120 amendments that had been filed.
“The idea that natural gas (would be) used as a last option is problematic and could scare away development,” he told reporters at the State House. “In my district, I want it to be economically competitive, and I want there to be housing developed, obviously, within a framework that is appropriate. But this, I think, has a chilling effect potentially on that.”
Only 40 days remained Friday before the Legislature was scheduled to close out formal lawmaking for their two-year session and every delay means House and Senate members have less time to push through and come to agreements on a laundry list of high-priority policies.
The super-minority Republican caucuses in both the House and Senate have historically turned to procedural tactics to delay legislation they do not agree with or want more time to digest, a strategic decision that is felt more acutely by Democrats as time for formal legislating starts to run out.
The agreement Fattman managed to get Democrats who control the Senate to sign off on will see the climate bill taken up next week and conservatives refrain from turning to “dilatory” tactics to delay a highly anticipated borrowing bill focused on affordable housing on Thursday.
Sen. William Brownsberger, a Belmont Democrat who presided over Friday’s Senate session, said a handful of lost days is not going to “make or break” plans laid out by Democratic leadership.“Every day matters but not every scheduling movement matters. So this shift of timeline, it’s not going to break the bank in terms of the conversation,” he said.
Senate President Karen Spilka, an Ashland Democrat, released the climate bill on Monday and initially planned debate for Thursday during a week that was bifurcated by a federal holiday. Brownsberger said Fattman had “a lot of time to think about” the bill.
“We felt the timeline was reasonable, but (Fattman) has his rights to grab a couple of additional days and so he’s done that,” Brownsberger said.
Democrats proposed phasing out a natural gas infrastructure replacement program known as the Gas System Enhancement Program, or GSEP, by 2030, a move they argued would bring down costs for consumers and take residents off the hook for “paying billions of dollars for fossil fuel investments that will soon serve no purpose.”
But labor unions and business groups have said sunsetting the program in four years would end the incentive for utility companies to repair pipes across the state and potentially put tens of thousands of workers out of jobs.
In a June 12 letter to legislators, the New England Gas Workers Alliance said the organization’s members work to maintain “critical infrastructure” that keeps “hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents safe and warm.”
“As part of their work, they routinely find leaking or dangerous pipe that are near homes and businesses throughout the commonwealth. They often put their lives at risk to safeguard the public,” the letter said.
Fattman echoed similar concerns.
“There’s about 20,000 people who do that work statewide. We’re basically sending them a message that they’re going to be unemployed. There’s 20,000 people with 20,000 families, potentially, 20,000 mortgages. They have lives too. They’re valued. They deserve a seat at the table,” he said. “Well, they’ve written us letters saying ‘we have real concerns about this bill.’”
Sen. Michael Barrett, a Lexington Democrat who helped author the climate bill, said Thursday that Massachusetts needs to step back from its “over-reliance” on natural gas, including by allowing state regulators to sign off on plans to terminate service to consumers so long as “safe, reliable, and affordable” alternatives are in place.
“Our plea to our colleagues and to our friends in this branch, in the other branch, and throughout Massachusetts, is that there is a way to do this well. There is a way to get off natural gas while keeping people warm and safe. We believe we struck the right balance with regard to this legislation,” he said.*
This sounds like Soviet Communism, not American freedom. It is simply amazing that these egomaniacs want to remove your natural gas in the name of mythical global warming.
Our plea, Sen. Barrett, is that the people of Massachusetts (the home of Paul Revere) will unelect people like you!
*Boston (MA) Herald/Chris Van Buskirk (Jun 21, 2024) – Republican Senator blocks climate bill again over natural gas concerns but agrees to Tuesday debate
Indeed.
Good grief!