Democrat Governor Who Sued Exxon Over Climate Change Asks Trump Administration To Fast-Track Gas Pipeline

Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who sued ExxonMobil over climate change, is pressing the Trump administration to speed approval of a gas pipeline expansion.

Healey asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright in a letter Thursday to ensure that federal reviews and permits for Enbridge’s Algonquin Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement (RARE) project “move without delay,” CommonWealth Beacon reported.

She also asked that “sufficient staff and resources are dedicated to completing the required reviews in time to preserve the project’s planned 2028 in-service date,” according to the outlet.

Marcellus Shale Coalition President Jim Welty said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation that New England’s energy affordability and reliability problems are “a direct result of politically motivated decisions to deny consumers in the region from accessing abundant and clean Pennsylvania natural gas.”

“Much of that pattern traces back to decisions made under then-Attorney General Healey, who openly celebrated stopping major natural gas pipeline projects that would have expanded access to affordable, reliable energy across the region,” Welty added. “We do appreciate Governor Healey’s belated awakening to this reality.”

“I stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state,” Healey said at an April 2022 WBUR gubernatorial candidate forum on energy and the environment, naming Kinder Morgan and Access Northeast.

“I think I’ve shown my willingness to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and also to oppose new gas infrastructure in this state,” she added.

The Boston Globe later noted that Healey’s office opposed both projects but was not solely responsible for stopping them.

As attorney general, Healey sued ExxonMobil in October 2019, accusing the company of deceiving Massachusetts consumers and investors about climate change.