THE SENATE’S top budget official is calling for Avangrid to be banned from bidding on any future projects in the state if it terminates its current offshore wind contract. Avangrid agreed to the terms of a 20-year power purchase agreement last year and just before it won final regulatory approval the company stepped forward to […]
State Government
Posted inState Government
Healey tells business group no one will compete harder
GOV. MAURA HEALEY started stumping for public support for her budget and tax proposals on Thursday, with the message tailored a bit to each of her audiences. In a speech to 800 at a morning event hosted by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Healey talked broadly about her tax and spending proposals and emphasized […]
Posted inState Government
Budget sets up ‘system’ for millionaire tax money
THE HEALEY ADMINISTRATION on Wednesday proposed a system to segregate, track, and spend the tax revenues that have started to flow into state coffers as a result of passage of the millionaire tax by voters in November. The system steers all of the money into one fund, the Education and Transportation Fund. Expenditures from the […]
Posted inState Government
Healey files a ‘unicorn’ of a state budget
GOV. MAURA HEALEY unveiled a state budget package on Wednesday that cuts taxes by nearly $1 billion, socks money away for a rainy day, and pours record amounts of funds into many key initiatives. The $55.5 billion budget proposal represents a 4.1 percent spending increase over the current year, and 14 percent higher than the […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government
Back-channel talks on Commonwealth Wind
THE HEALEY ADMINISTRATION has been working behind the scenes to get the Avangrid wind farm project back on track, but so far little progress has been made. Avangrid last year secured a power purchase agreement for Commonwealth Wind with the state’s three utilities and agreed to terms, but then claimed interest rate hikes, inflation, the […]
Posted inOpinion
Decarbonization road map has some gaping holes
GOV. MAURA HEALEY has gotten off to a good running start on implementing the Commonwealth’s plans to combat climate change by establishing an Office of Climate Innovation and Resilience within the governor’s office and appointing a climate chief. The state’s long range climate change plans are embodied in the “Massachusetts 2050 Decarbonization Road Map,” which […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to address equity in public transportation
THE MASSACHUSETTS public transportation system is broken, and now is the time to fix it – equitably. The public is demanding action, and Gov. Maura Healey is bringing fresh energy and a strong commitment to public transit. The tools are available, including $1 billion in additional revenue from the Fair Share transportation and education surtax, […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government, State House News Service
Tepper names former colleague to head DOER
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE DEPARTMENT of Energy Resources will be under new management as the Healey administration looks to implement its own vision and strategy to advance the state’s clean energy shift. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper announced Tuesday that she appointed Elizabeth Mahony, a veteran of the attorney general’s office, as […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Healey taps Rep. Santiago as veterans secretary
STATAE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. MAURA HEALEY will tap Rep. Jon Santiago of Boston, a major in the US Army Reserve, as the state’s next veterans’ services secretary, Healey announced Friday morning. Santiago recently returned from an overseas deployment, and Healey plans to swear in Santiago on March 1, the date that the veterans’ secretariat […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
State tax revenues miss mark for first time since June 2020
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE REVENUE collections missed the mark by nearly 5 percent in January, with the $3.834 billion that the Department of Revenue reeled in landing $192 million, or 4.8 percent, shy of the previous January’s collections and $185 million or 4.6 percent below the monthly benchmark. It is the first time since […]