By Daniel Turner

Massachusetts is in the middle of an energy crisis. It’s not because of global markets or seasonal cold snaps. It’s because of poor leadership and disastrous energy policy, with Governor Maura Healey leading the charge. As energy bills soar, voters in 2026 should take a closer look at who’s responsible, and more importantly, who offers a better way forward.

Gov. Healey has proudly touted her role blocking natural gas pipelines across the Commonwealth. “I was the Attorney General who stopped the pipelines,” she boasted, as if cutting off access to a critical energy source is something to celebrate. It is one thing to put on a performance to advance your ambitions for higher office. It is another when you achieve that higher office and have real responsibilities of protecting the grid and preventing skyrocketing costs.

Unfortunately, as governor, Healey made the mistake of appointing Rebecca Tepper to be Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs. With a far-left ally of green groups like Tepper leading the charge, Gov. Healey signed an executive order demanding a full transition away from natural gas which is used by roughly half the state’s homes for heating.

The result? Massachusetts residents now pay 36% more for electricity than the national average. That’s not an accident. It’s the direct result of intentional political choices that prioritized ideology over affordability and reliability. As ISO New England President and CEO Gordon van Welie — who oversees the operation of New England’s electric power system and transmission lines — said in his testimony to Congress, “The physical constraints on the gas pipeline infrastructure drive gas prices higher” and therefore higher “electricity prices.”

When energy becomes unreliable and unaffordable, working families, the poor, and minority communities are hardest hit. A recent report from the left-of-center think tank the Progressive Policy Institute examined the impact of anti-energy policies from Healey and the green left on low-earning Black and Latino families. The study found that these vulnerable communities bear the highest costs for these policies. To put it plainly: “Energy poverty is real, and regressive energy policy makes it worse.” High utility bills are a tax on the most vulnerable.

Meanwhile, Tepper has become a political albatross around Gov. Healey’s neck. In a recent hearing on skyrocketing energy bills, Tepper refused to say the state should support expanding natural gas infrastructure to lower prices. Even Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul — no moderate herself — has expressed willingness to work with the Trump administration to allow more natural gas pipelines. She has pivoted her messaging away from the energy transition to focusing on reliability and affordability.

Only a few years ago Charlie Baker was one of the most popular governors in the country, and was re-elected with bipartisan support. Massachusetts voters have shown they’re willing to vote Republican at the state level if the candidate is pragmatic and focused on getting things done.

And the political winds may be shifting. Multiple polls show Healey’s approval ratings falling, with voters expressing growing frustration over high housing costs, controversial immigration policies, and yes — skyrocketing energy bills. A poll by UMass Amherst revealed clear dissatisfaction with her handling of key issues. Another survey from the Fiscal Alliance Foundation showed widespread opposition to her energy policies, tax hikes, and lack of fiscal accountability.

If the state continues down the current path — shutting off access to domestic energy, demonizing natural gas, and embracing unrealistic mandates — it will only deepen the crisis. When homes can’t be heated affordably, when businesses pay sky-high utility bills, and when foreign countries fill the gap left by blocked pipelines, it’s a policy failure with real human costs. Thanks to Tepper, this is a record Gov. Healey will have to defend.

The nation should keep its eye on the 2026 gubernatorial race. Because what happens in Massachusetts is a preview of the national debate: Are we going to put energy policy in the hands of ideologues like Tepper, or are we going to trust leaders who prioritize affordability, reliability, and American energy?

Daniel Turner is the Executive Director of Power the Future, a national nonprofit that advocates for American energy workers.