Overview
- House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz said the chamber needs more time to review H4744, a delay that likely bumps action to 2026 as formal business ends.
- H4744 would shift the Mass Save program back to cost-effectiveness, allow rebates for efficient gas heating, cap the next three-year plan at $4 billion, and scale back the 2025–2027 proposal.
- Advocates warn the bill would weaken the state’s 2030 requirement to cut emissions 50% from 1990 levels and reduce Mass Save funding by about $500 million.
- More than 100 climate and environmental groups urged lawmakers to reject the changes, while sponsor Rep. Mark Cusack framed the proposal as a response to energy affordability concerns.
- Rising utility delinquencies and recent moves in states like Arizona, Connecticut, New York, and North Carolina to ease climate goals form the backdrop to the Massachusetts fight.