Release: Energy Mandates to Blame for High Energy Costs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2025
Contact: Jacob Posik
Director of Legislative Affairs
Office: 207.321.2550
Cell: 207.240.7064

New England Policy Leaders: Alternative Energy Mandates to Blame
for Rising Energy Costs

New England – Today, a coalition of New England-based free market think tanks and state legislators gathered for an online press conference to highlight the devastating impact that alternative energy mandates are having on ratepayers across New England.

The gathering featured State Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-MA), State Rep. Mark Higley (R-VT), State Sen. Gordon Rogers (R-RI), State Rep. Reagan Paul (R-ME), and House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-NH), as well as speakers from Americans for Prosperity, the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Maine Policy Institute, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, and Vermont’s Rob Roper. The event examined the true cost net zero policies and energy mandates enforced throughout the region.

“For years, politicians have promised that alternative energy mandates would create a clean and affordable future, but the reality is not what we’re seeing. These mandates are driving up energy costs, squeezing homeowners, and forcing small businesses to absorb unbearable price increases. The recent spike in energy prices is not due to tariffs or changes in federal policies on offshore wind, but is a direct result of rigid alternative energy policies like Massachusetts’s 2050 net zero mandate,” noted Paul Diego Craney, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. 

A study published last year by the coalition, The Staggering Costs of New England’s Green Energy Policies, found that the cost of energy across New England will continue to skyrocket as more mandates take effect. The impact is already being felt, with higher electricity bills burdening families and undermining the region’s economic competitiveness.

“More than any other New England state, New Hampshire has prioritized cost and reliability in its energy policies. If the rest of the region followed New Hampshire’s lead, ratepayers could enjoy real savings while lowering the risk of blackouts,” stated Drew Cline of the Josiah Bartlet Center for Public Policy. 

“Freezing in the dark, it’s not an April Fools Day joke. If Rhode Island lawmakers do not repeal our many un-attainable energy mandates, not only will electricity prices soon become un-affordable, electricity itself may become un-available on the coldest of winter nights,” said Mike Stenhouse, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity. 

“Vermont has been losing jobs because of uncompetitive electric costs for years. Some of our politicians are fond of saying we have some of the lowest electric rates in New England, which is like being the sexiest guy in the leper colony,” said Rob Roper of Vermont.

“Maine’s goals of achieving 100 percent clean electricity by 2040 and net zero emissions by 2045 ultimately result in policies which hurt ratepayers, the same people they’re alleged to help. High energy costs are a direct result of policies in Maine–and throughout the region–which prioritize expensive, intermittent forms of alternative energy over reliability and affordability for ratepayers. It’s time for Maine lawmakers to get serious about the issue this year and put ratepayers’ interests above the out-of-touch climate agenda,” said Jacob Posik, Director of Legislative Affairs at Maine Policy Institute.

“The real joke this April 1 is politicians believing they can continue to force through mandates without consequences.  Voters aren’t fools, they can connect the dots between policies and high prices.  New England as a whole needs to shift to a focus on creating energy abundance and affordability,” said Ross Connolly, Northeast Regional Director for Americans for Prosperity. 

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Maine Policy Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to expand individual liberty and economic freedom in Maine. Learn more about our work at www.mainepolicy.org.