MassGOP Calls on Maura Healey to Intervene in New Gas Pipeline Application

Eversource at the Mercy of Anti-Pipeline Secretary Rebecca Tepper

8.12.25

 

BOSTON, MA — Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevale called on Governor Maura Healey to overrule the authority of Rebecca Tepper, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and approve a new application by Eversource to add pipeline capacity to western Massachusetts, strengthening the region’s natural gas infrastructure.

 

The state Department of Public Utilities will soon review a second application for the Western Massachusetts Natural Gas Reliability Project, an $85 million project that would add a backup pipeline to the region in the event of infrastructure failure.

 

Eversource predicts that, should the main gas line fail, up to 200,000 Massachusetts residents could go without heat in the winter for up to two months. The region’s current natural gas system is 70 years old.

 

In March, Secretary Tepper scoffed at the idea that pipeline capacity should be added in Massachusetts, claiming that customers only experience high prices for “seven days” out of the year. Her claim was rebuffed by thousands of outraged residents who have reported record-high bills during times of peak demand this year.

 

“If Governor Healey is serious about making Massachusetts affordable again, she will stop her anti-pipeline cabinet member from denying construction of this critical natural gas pipeline,” said MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale. “Wind farms are literally dead in the water while LNG exports leave residents reliant on the most expensive solution to our energy crisis. This is a historic opportunity for Governor Healey to show she is no longer committed to blocking natural gas pipelines, as she’s previously touted.”

 

Background:

 

On Aug. 7, Eversource held an open house to detail progress on the Massachusetts Natural Gas Reliability Project, which is being sent to the DPU for review for the second time after being rejected in 2023. (Greenfield Recorder, 8/11/25)

 

Rebecca Tepper, Healey’s energy secretary, opposes the building of new natural gas pipelines, saying in March that energy “prices are high maybe seven days. You don’t build a pipeline for seven days.” Tepper approved rate hikes on energy customers that were ultimately repealed after Massachusetts families reported monthly energy bills hundreds of dollars higher than years past. (Mass Fiscal, 3/14/25)

 

Shortly before the 2022 election, Gov. Healey bragged to an audience, “Remember, I stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state.” (WBSM, 2/26/25)

 

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