Client: Gas Leak Allies
Author: Joshua R. Castigliego and Liz Stanton, PhD
June 2020 (Updated Sept. 2020)
On behalf of the Gas Leak Allies, Researcher Joshua Castigliego and Clinic Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD prepared a policy brief that compares the costs of status quo gas system repair in Massachusetts to the costs of repair under the FUTURE Act. The “FUTURE Act” (An Act For a Utility Transition to Using Renewable Energy, H.2849, S.1940) was introduced in the Massachusetts Legislature in early 2019. The Act aims not only to address existing safety challenges, but also to create a path forward for gas distribution companies to move away from the fossil fuel delivery business and be a part of the clean energy transition. Our assessment finds that Massachusetts’ FUTURE Act (if passed) could save consumers $10.7 billion while transitioning the Commonwealth to a zero-carbon, renewable thermal future.