BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey is pitching a $3 billion climate bond as the answer to Massachusetts’ future — but for thousands of families already drowning in sky-high utility bills, it’s just another green boondoggle with no relief in sight.
Massachusetts now has the fourth-highest electricity rates in America — a staggering 75% above the national average. In Boston, monthly power bills are routinely topping $160. Yet after years of pricey climate spending, Healey’s latest plan offers zero help to lower costs.
Dubbed the “Mass Ready Act,” the five-year bond borrows billions for seawalls, culvert upgrades, marshland restoration, and a new $200 million loan fund for towns and cities. It also includes fast-track permitting to grease the skids for infrastructure projects.
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But there’s one glaring omission: no relief for the average resident.
No plan to reduce energy rates. No investment in local power generation. No backup for future droughts. No break for the families footing the bill.
Instead, a sizable chunk is earmarked for vague “climate justice” programs — the kind of buzzword-laced initiatives that funnel cash to nonprofits and advocacy groups, with little transparency and even less measurable impact.
In other words: the usual.
While the administration touts this as “resilience,” critics say it’s more like redistribution — from overburdened taxpayers to a revolving door of connected contractors, grant-seekers, and “equity” consultants.
And this comes as Beacon Hill quietly eyes new taxes and fees to patch unrelated budget holes.
So who’s really ready? Not the average Massachusetts resident — who’s being squeezed from both ends by rising energy costs and runaway government spending.
Healey’s bond may be historic in size, but it’s light on answers and heavy on slogans. “Visionary,” say supporters. But to most, it’s just more politics over practicality, and climate buzzwords over electric bills that never stop climbing.
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