A few months later, she unveiled a bill that proposed to reduce energy charges by billions of dollars. The legislation has yet to pass, but now Healey's resolve -- and that of consumers -- is about to be tested yet again after the state's utility companies filed for winter-season rates for natural gas that would increase monthly bills anywhere from 4 percent for National Grid to as much as 17 percent for Eversource.

"These rate hikes are outrageous," Healey said in a statement. "I am urging the DPU to scrutinize this proposal and push back on Eversource. We need to lower costs for families and businesses, especially as we head into winter."

Ultimately, the fate of the rate increases is in the hands of the Department of Public Utilities; Healey has appointed two of the three commissioners who oversee the agency.

Last winter, customers faced even larger double-digit increases in heating charges. Outrage from consumers who said they have trouble paying those bills prompted a bipartisan group of 22 state senators to send a letter to the DPU complaining that utilities should not have "free rein to impose unpredictable and excessive financial burdens on ratepayers."

Eversource said much of the rate increase for this winter is to underwrite maintenance costs and investments in its gas infrastructure, while only a small portion is attributed to the cost of buying natural gas from suppliers, and to charges associated with public benefits, such as energy efficiency programs.

If approved by the DPU, Eversource will begin charging the higher rate on Nov. 1. The company said households that use an average amount of gas heating should expect to see their bills this winter increase around $41, or approximately 13 percent, Eversource said in a press release.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Eversource said it is "working closely with the [Healey] Administration, our regulators, and other key stakeholders every day on solutions to address the high cost of energy we face not just in Massachusetts, but across New England."

Massachusetts residents pay among the highest electricity rates in the nation, trailing only California and Hawaii.

Healey's cost-savings bill before the Legislature would change how energy is bought, financed, and billed in Massachusetts, and in total could end up saving ratepayers some $10 billion over the next 10 years.

Her bill proposes removing or drastically reducing some of the myriad charges consumers see on their utility bills, increasing accountability of utilities, and making it easier to add nuclear energy technologies to the electric grid, among other proposals.

Her legislation would also authorize the DPU to use new tools, such as bonds, to finance investments and energy saving programs, which would decrease the upfront burden on rate payers. The proposal seemingly scales back the use of Mass Save, which is largely funded by a surcharge on ratepayer bills.

State House leaders said a vote on her legislation could come as early as October.

An "energy affordability agenda" she announced in March included a $50 credit on electricity bills for residential customers and an order establishing a discount rate for moderate-income customers, as well as expanding existing discounts for lower-income customers. Her administration has said those steps should save rate payers nearly $6 billion.

The cost-saving initiatives come amid the Trump administration's assault on clean energy options such as new offshore wind power and the passage of legislation that rolled back clean-energy tax credits and resulted in a 6.1 percent increase in electricity bills for Massachusetts residents, according to an analysis by the National Economic Research Associates.

Another surge in heating bills is sure to revive the debate over expanding pipelines that ship natural gas to New England. Massachusetts officials in the past have opposed such expansions, but in September Healey signaled she would support an expansion of one of them, the Algonquin pipeline that Serves southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

"We need some near-term solves to the supply issue that we have right now in the Northeast," Healey said at an event hosted in Boston by Bloomberg. "I am acutely focused on the issue of costs -- costs for our rate payers, our residents, our businesses. And how do you deal with that? You deal with that by getting more supply into the region. And I think the good news here is that there are a lot of different ways to do that."

Still, two Republicans running to challenge Healey for governor in 2026, both of whom support building new gas pipelines, were quick to tie the rate hikes to Healey.

"Massachusetts families are already struggling under the weight of the highest costs in the nation," said Mike Kennealy, a housing and economic development secretary under Governor Charlie Baker. Healey's "reckless climate agenda has led directly to these higher costs, and now working families are being forced to foot the bill."

Kennealy's opponent, former MBTA executive Brian Shortsleeve, echoed the sentiment, almost down to the verbiage.

"This is the direct result of Healey's reckless energy agenda," Shortsleeve said. "Instead of ensuring reliable, affordable energy for Massachusetts residents, her administration has prioritized politically driven mandates and a costly climate agenda that has added substantial delivery fees."

Healey, however, has expressed support for an "all of the above" strategy to energy supply, including building new gas pipelines.

Senator Michael Barrett, who cochairs the Legislature's energy committee, said the state should be able to thread a needle between building out the electric grid and gas pipelines at the same time, to "make certain that you're not double-taxing people's pocketbooks."

He also speculated Healey could be aiming to appease the Trump administration by supporting a gas pipeline, in order to allow the state's ambitious offshore wind projects to proceed.

"Everything is transactional," the Lexington Democrat said. "There is always a trade that lurks."

Mass. Governor says Eversource proposal to hike rates is 'outrageous,' calls for DPU review - The Boston Globe