Governor says she supports Question 1 and government transparency, but her administration continues to withhold major taxpayer funded climate and energy studies

 Following Governor Maura Healey’s declaration that she supports Question 1 and would veto an attempt to undermine the public records measure, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance today called on the Governor to immediately make public taxpayer-funded NetZero climate studies that her administration has withheld or delayed.

“If Governor Healey believes Massachusetts taxpayers deserve greater transparency from their government, she has an opportunity to prove it right now,” said Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Executive Director Paul Diego Craney. “She does not need to wait for Question 1 to pass. She does not need another law. Her administration can start by making public the taxpayer-funded studies examining the enormous costs and infrastructure demands associated with Net Zero policies.”

CommonWealth Beacon reported Wednesday that the state has spent or authorized more than $1.2 million for three major climate and energy studies whose findings have either not been released or have been significantly delayed.

One study, conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute for $379,000 and submitted to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center in 2023, estimated that between $27 billion and $46 billion in electric infrastructure investments would be needed through 2050. Despite being completed three years ago, the report was never publicly released.

Another analysis, commissioned at a cost of up to $650,000, was intended to examine the economic costs of Massachusetts’ transition to Net Zero. Former Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer said earlier this year that the report had been submitted, that she had seen it, and that it was already “largely informing policy,” even though the public has still not been allowed to see it.

A third MassCEC study examining the upfront costs of electrifying and improving the energy efficiency of existing Massachusetts buildings was originally scheduled for completion in spring 2025. Its public timeline has since been changed to say the study is expected to be completed in early 2027.

“These studies deal directly with policies that are already affecting what Massachusetts families pay to heat their homes and keep the lights on,” said Craney. “If the findings are good news, the administration should release them. If the findings show enormous costs or serious challenges, taxpayers have an even greater right to see them. Either way, keeping this information out of public view is indefensible.”

“Governor Healey says she supports transparency. This is her chance to demonstrate it before a single vote is cast on Question 1,” said Craney.