Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called on the state’s Department of Public Utilities to investigate “the future of the natural gas industry” in Massachusetts this week, alleging that the use of the fuel didn’t align with the state’s 2050 climate goals. While such a claim is confusing, considering the role of natural gas in mitigating carbon emissions and the state’s significant reliance on the fuel, it was made all the more shocking by Attorney General Healey’s reasoning:

“In order to combat the climate crisis and meet our clean energy goals, we must transition away from fossil fuels and change the way gas utilities do business in our state,” Attorney General Healey said. “We want the DPU to take a close look at the future of the natural gas industry in Massachusetts and make the policy and structural changes we need to ensure a clean energy future that is safe, reliable, and fair.” (emphasis added)

With that statement, the attorney general just said the quiet part out loud. Admittedly, Healey has made statements in support of a “clean energy transition” before, but this serves as the starkest example of her true intention: banning fossil fuels by using whatever tools are available to her.

Read the full blog post at EIDClimate.org.

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