Gov. Maura Healey declared what she called a State of Energy Emergency on Monday — suspending or eliminating some energy fees from bills and offering a first-time "middle-class" home heating oil assistance program that she said could provide up to $680 to oil households that make up to 100 percent of the state median income this winter.
Healey announced the assistance two weeks after calling on the legislature to approve a two-month moratorium on the state's 24-cent-gas tax as prices surge to more than $4 per gallon for regular gasoline and $6 per gallon for heating oil.
About 20 percent of Massachusetts homes use oil for winter heat — among the highest usage rates in the country.
"Big picture today," she said during a news conference in Everett on Monday, "is that we're taking action today to lower heating costs for people, to lower people's energy bills. It follows steps that I took last year and that I proposed in my (gas-tax suspension) energy legislation that I filed that I do hope gets to my desk.
"But we're going to continue to look for every which way to help people in Massachusetts deal with really challenging federal headwinds. That's what we're dealing with. And I did not want to wait to act."
Healey said the new oil assistance program will benefit households earning up to 100 percent of the state median income — which is up to $171,749 for a family of four. Previous programs served households that qualified for other low-income federal food and housing programs.
She said 50,000 Massachusetts heating oil households are expected to qualify and receive up to $680 per household. Assistance will be available beginning in December until the end of the heating season on April 30, or until funding lasts.
"I thought it was important to increase eligibility to a broader number of households because everybody is getting hurt by what (the Iran War) is costing us," Healey said.
She said there will be another $15 million in assistance for low-income households through the HEAP program that serves about 156,000 Bay State families each winter.
Current HEAP support ranges from approximately $525 to $1,200 per household, she said, with the new funding increasing that by about 20 percent for oil customers and 15 percent for those who use other forms of energy.
She said the state is eliminating the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program charge for three months this winter. She said other funding sources have been identified to support incentives for solar projects across the state from January through March.
The Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard charge on bills will be lowered by 50 percent, which she said will provide about $20 million in relief across the state.
Healey said that while the short-term assistance focuses mostly on fossil fuels — specifically oil — a longer-term solution involves solar, wind, hydro and other forms of "renewable" energy that the Trump Administration has opposed.
"The cheapest form of energy is actually clean energy," she said. "Wind, solar, and the like. We are going to continue to bring those things online. ...
"We've got to continue to make those investments in energy that is clean, that is cheaper than fossil fuels. And in the meantime we've got to look to bridge people's need for energy and also help them deal with the severe shock of these energy costs caused by the Trump Administration and this war."
More information on the Energy State of Emergency programs and eligibility for them can be found here.
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