Among those proposed reforms is the idea of scrapping the state’s offshore wind price cap, which requires the power from each new project to be cheaper than the project before it. Gov. Charlie Baker and House Speaker Ron Mariano have both supported the idea but state Sen. Michael Barrett worried that eliminating the cap would mean even higher electricity prices for Massachusetts ratepayers in exchange for economic development projects.
In a press release from the administration, Barrett said Friday’s announcement shows that economic development and affordability are not mutually exclusive.
“This round sees a wise balance struck between economic development, on the one hand, and protection against excessively high monthly electric bills for families, on the other,” the Senate chairman of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy said. “Going forward, this can serve as a model for us.”
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