Extinction Rebellion Boston

Why is your energy bill so high?

Massachusetts has some of the highest energy costs in the country. The cost of living is increasing while wages stagnate, and Massachusetts families are hurting. We need to understand what's going on.

Gas

Gas companies like National Grid and Eversource are replacing old pipelines in the name of safety, but the number of gas leaks has not gone down over the last 10+ years. In reality, they are replacing old pipes with new, larger pipes because this is the most profitable part of their business.
In Massachusetts, gas companies earn a state-mandated 9% rate of return for their investment in new pipes, paid for by us, their gas customers. So the more new pipes they put in and the more expensive their projects, the more money they make.
Look at your gas bill. What you pay for “gas delivery” is probably more than what you pay for the gas you use. That’s because the “gas delivery” charge, which has skyrocketed in recent years, is where the gas companies are charging you for putting in new, larger pipes.
In the future, as more gas customers switch to renewable energy, the people who can’t switch, such as many renters, will have to pay a larger share of these “gas delivery” charges.

Electricity

These costs are also rising, in part because about 55% of our electricity is generated by burning gas.

Takeaways

Our system is rigged to benefit companies like Eversource and National grid - at our expense.
The injustices above don't include the environmental and health costs of relying on gas, which poisons our air and is a major cause of climate change.

What is Project Beacon?

Project Beacon is a proposed project by gas company Enbridge to expand gas transmission capacity into New England. The company plans to both build new pipeline and replace existing pipeline with larger-diameter pipes. It is effectively a 2nd try at a previous project, called Project Maple, which never got off the ground, in part due to advocacy of over 100 community organizations across New England. Once more, we must work together to oppose this destructive and economically disastrous plan.

Why are pipelines bad?

It may seem counterintuitive, but increasing gas supply will not drive costs down.

As we become more reliant on gas, we are more exposed to the rising, volatile price of gas. Renewable energy sources don't rely on global markets, which are affected by conflict and global politics.
New England has actually increased our transmission capacity by 30% since 2010, but it has not caused prices to drop. Increasing supply should decrease cost, but costs have risen (more than inflation) instead!
Massachusetts has been using a fairly constant amount of gas since 2020. The increased cost of gas does not come from increased demand, but rather the global market and new infrastructure projects.
When we transition to renewable energy sources, pipelines will become a “stranded asset,” meaning that we will no longer use them. However, we will still be paying for them, since they are financed over a 30-40 year period.

Maura Healey

Our Governor promised to be the “Climate Governor". If so, why were Eversource and National grid in her top 20 donors in 2022? Why has she supported taking an "all of the above" approach to energy, meaning building more oil and gas infrastructure, instead of leaning into renewables? Why is she moving us further from our state-mandated goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050?

Healey has the power to approve or deny projects like Project Beacon. We need to hold her accountable to her promise and pressure her to ban all new fossil fuel infrastructure.

What can we do?

It’s time to take action.

Contact your representatives. You can use this link to find your legislators and let them know that you oppose the building of new pipelines in Massachusetts.
Talk about it. Many climate-conscious people don't even realize there are plans to expand pipelines. Tell your friends and family!
Stay informed. These energy companies thrive when they are working without public knowledge. Everything we can do to create resistance or scrutiny makes it harder for them to build.