Healey Seeks Trump Administration Help on Algonquin Gas Pipeline Expansion
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has asked the Trump administration to expedite federal reviews and permits for the expansion of the Algonquin gas pipeline. The governor sent a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday, urging the administration to move quickly on the project. According to Healey's letter, the Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement (RARE) Project is expected to provide natural gas supply to 600,000 customers.
The project has a planned 'in-service' date for 2028 and two decade-long contracts with Eversource Energy are set to begin on November 1, 2029. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission began its environmental review of the project in February and has since conducted public scoping. Healey's request comes about a month before the general election where energy has emerged as a central theme in her reelection campaign against Republican Mike Minogue.
In her letter to Wright, Healey noted that she and Minogue have previously discussed their mutual desire to get more U.S. natural gas into New England to reduce reliance on higher-cost imported fuel and lower costs for customers. During her tenure as attorney general, Healey opposed new natural gas pipeline construction.