Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey announced a $46 million plan Tuesday to boost electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in order to meet the state’s climate goals as ratepayers drown under exorbitant energy bills.
Healey’s office announced Tuesday that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) will funnel millions from a trust in part funded by ratepayers to support EV charging infrastructure through the fiscal year of 2027 and unveiled its updated EV plan in tandem with the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council (EVICC). Massachusetts has some of the highest energy bills in the U.S. and strict climate goals, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050 and almost one million EVs on the road by 2030.
“Massachusetts remains a national leader in deploying EV charging, ranking first in charger density nationally,” Healey’s office said in a statement. “However, the EVICC Assessment finds that EV charger deployment needs to increase to meet demand from EV drivers and the Commonwealth’s climate requirements.”
Massachusetts needs to significantly ramp up its public EV charging station build out to meet its 2030 target, state officials said Tuesday. Funds will support $16 million in EV charging infrastructure at workspaces and public locations, as well as $30 million for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle chargers.
Funding will primarily stem from the Climate Protection and Mitigation Expendable Trust (CMT), established in 2018, which is “ultimately funded by ratepayers,” according to MassDEP. The plan will not add any additional costs or fees to the ratepayer or taxpayer, according to Healey’s office.
Massachusetts has historically supported several expensive green energy projects that have been linked to higher energy bills, including offshore wind farms like Vineyard Wind and the defunct Cape Wind project. In March, several climate activist groups wrote to Healey urging that the state lower soaring utility costs, though Massachusetts has been adopting the very initiatives green groups champion that are linked to climbing energy bills.
“More important than the forecast of future EV charging infrastructure are the state’s priorities and strategy for building EV charging infrastructure,” the assessment reads. “Clear priorities and a coordinated strategy to effectuate those priorities will ensure that public funding is optimized and progress towards a robust EV charging network continues regardless of federal policy and market uncertainty or future EV adoption rate.”
The effort will also pay special attention to “environmental justice populations,” which reflects the former Biden administration’s goals. The Biden administration had also planned to build out half a million public EV chargers to support his climate initiatives, though it only built a few hundred under two billion-dollar programs, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
“State-funded efforts should also seek to ensure an equitable buildout of EV charging infrastructure across the Commonwealth, particularly in areas or for customers that have historically had limited access to EV charging infrastructure,” the assessment reads.
Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper argued that the initiative would ease residents’ burdens.
“We’re making it easier for everyone to get around as more Massachusetts residents choose to drive electric,” Tepper said. “Not only are these vehicles fun to drive but they are typically less expensive to maintain than their gas- and diesel- powered counterparts.”
President Donald Trump signed Congressional resolutions in June to terminate the Biden-era de facto national EV mandate, though several blue states including Massachusetts are still holding to ambitious EV targets.
Healey’s office referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to the governor’s June initiative aimed at lowering energy prices when reached for comment.
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