Politics
Pipeline request puts Healey’s climate message under scrutiny in reelection race
Gov. Maura Healey promoted a clean-energy project in East Boston, then called for faster federal review of a gas pipeline expansion less than an hour later. The contrast highlights the tensions in her energy strategy as climate advocates and voters weigh rising costs.
In early October, Gov. Maura Healey praised a clean-energy project during a visit to Otis Elementary School in East Boston, saying it showed how Massachusetts could protect communities from climate change. Less than an hour later, her office urged the Trump administration to speed its review of a proposed gas pipeline expansion.
The two announcements illustrate the balancing act at the center of Healey’s reelection campaign: pursuing climate goals while responding to energy costs that have become a pressing concern for households. Her broad, “all-of-the-above” energy approach has alienated some climate activists, even as the governor has announced temporary measures intended to reduce winter energy bills.
The debate also sets Healey apart from Republican gubernatorial candidate Michael Minogue, who has called for more gas capacity in Massachusetts and pledged to abandon some of the state’s most ambitious climate targets.
Massachusetts has continued to advance offshore wind and other clean-energy efforts under Healey, though some wind projects have stalled since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025. The competing pressures—affordability, energy supply and emissions reductions—are likely to remain central questions for voters evaluating the state’s energy direction.