BOSTON — He was supposed to be keeping your electric bill in check. Instead, he was emailing climate industry insiders from his government account asking if they had any job openings for him.
Newly obtained emails show that James Van Nostrand — Gov. Maura Healey's handpicked chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities — was actively shopping for his next gig at firms operating in the very industry his agency was supposed to be independently overseeing, according to the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, which obtained the records through a public records request with Government Accountability & Oversight.
On August 21, 2025 — while still serving as chair, still making regulatory decisions, still drawing a state paycheck — Van Nostrand emailed Susan Tierney at the Analysis Group, one of the most powerful energy consulting firms in the country, asking about "possible opportunities at the Analysis Group or with the Energy Foundation."
Massachusetts residents currently pay around 34 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity — nearly twice the national average. Van Nostrand's agency was supposed to be protecting them from exactly that.
Van Nostrand's email to Susan Tierney at the Analysis Group, sent from his mass.gov address while still serving as DPU chair. (Fiscal Alliance Foundation / Government Accountability & Oversight)
The Energy Foundation is a San Francisco-based climate philanthropy that bankrolls green policy advocacy across the country. The Analysis Group consults on energy policy for utilities and governments alike. Both sit squarely in the clean energy ecosystem Van Nostrand was supposed to be independently overseeing.
His departure wouldn't be publicly announced for another five days. He'd been networking with climate industry contacts for weeks before anyone outside the governor's office knew he was leaving.
And here's the kicker: Healey's administration had just reappointed him for a second two-year term five months earlier. By August, he was already looking for the door — and making sure the climate lobby would hold it open.
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His replacement: straight from the climate lobby
Four days later, Van Nostrand sent an internal email to senior staff announcing his exit — and revealing who would take over. The names tell you everything you need to know.
Van Nostrand's internal email to DPU senior staff announcing his departure and his replacements. (Fiscal Alliance Foundation / Government Accountability & Oversight)
Incoming chair Jeremy McDiarmid was coming straight from Advanced Energy United — a clean energy trade group — with previous stints at the Acadia Center, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and the New England Clean Energy Council. Climate lobby, climate lobby, climate lobby, climate lobby.
Van Nostrand called him "a good friend" with "a deep understanding of clean energy technology and regulatory strategy." He told staff the new commission would continue "to fulfill our collective commitment to shepherding the Commonwealth's clean energy transition."
Not protecting ratepayers. Not keeping electricity affordable. Shepherding the clean energy transition — the same agenda his future employers are paid to push.
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'The revolving door'
"The person responsible for protecting ratepayers should not be using a government email account to line up potential jobs with organizations that advocate for the very policies driving energy costs higher," said Paul Diego Craney, Executive Director of the Fiscal Alliance Foundation.
"When regulators move comfortably between government posts and the climate advocacy industry, it undermines public confidence that ratepayer interests are coming first. Families and small businesses across Massachusetts are facing some of the highest electricity prices in the country."
"The Department of Public Utilities exists to protect ratepayers, and that mission should never be blurred by career networking with the very industry that benefits from these policies," Craney added.
Neither Van Nostrand, the Analysis Group, the Energy Foundation, nor Gov. Healey's office have publicly responded to the emails. Van Nostrand now serves on the Council of Commissioners at the Regulatory Assistance Project — yet another clean energy policy organization. The revolving door keeps spinning.
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