The plans as filed continue the current expensive, polluting gas system that customers have made clear does not work. Photo: Shutterstock.
April 21, 2026 (Boston, MA) – Conservation Law Foundation, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Sierra Club have asked the state’s Department of Public Utilities to reject gas utilities’ climate compliance plans and require the companies to resubmit new ones.
“These plans are a resounding failure,” said Jocelyn Lee, CLF Staff Attorney. “Each one essentially commits to the status quo in a time when families are feeling the pain of sky-high energy bills more than ever. Gas utilities had well over a year to look at their practices and choose to do right by their customers and the climate. Instead, they chose their shareholders’ already stuffed wallets, once again.”
The state’s Future of Gas investigation called for investor-owned gas utilities to file five-year plans that work towards the state’s law of cutting carbon pollution while also providing safe, efficient, and cost-effective energy to customers. The Department tasked utilities with proving they are minimizing unnecessary gas spending, prioritizing lowering energy costs, helping customers adopt electric heating technology, and investing in workforce training.
The plans as filed fall far short of those objectives, choosing instead to continue the current expensive, polluting gas system that customers have made clear does not work.
CLF experts are available for further comment
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