Vice President Harris, Mass. state leaders address energy concerns

WESTFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Vice President Kamala Harris visited Boston Wednesday, announcing new efforts to help Americans deal with rising energy costs this winter.

During her speech, she highlighted how President Biden’s economic plan will help households afford energy efficient equipment when they need to make home repairs so they can save money on their utility bills for years to come.

“Upgrades are expensive,” Vice President Harris said. “Even though we know it could save you thousands of dollars in the long run, the upfront cost is often too high for so many families to be able to afford. And that is why we are investing $300 million right here in Massachusetts, and $13 billion nationwide to help families pay to upgrade their homes and to lower their monthly energy bills.”

We learned during her announcement that the Biden Administration will provide $300 million to the Bay State and $13 billion nationwide to help families pay to upgrade their homes and to lower their monthly energy bills.

“And that means providing rebates of more than $800 per household to help families purchase and install for example a new electric stove, and providing up to $1,600 per household to help families install new insulation, and it means giving families up to $8,000 to replace their gas furnace,” Vice President Harris said.

In August, Massachusetts Governor Baker and the other New England governors wrote to President Biden with their concerns about supplies and prices this winter. Wednesday, Western Mass News asked Governor Baker about that letter.

“We asked for a number of things. One of the things we asked for was a waiver of the Jones Act, which would make it possible for foreign vessels to bring natural gas and home heating oil from the gulf up to the Northeast,” Governor Baker told us. “They’ve waved the Jones Act before. I know they’re considering it. I know it would help a lot. I do worry about supply and price. Supply is going to be tight, and it will have a big impact on price. I would hate to get to the point where we have serious issues in respect to brownouts and access.”

Just last week, Eversource CEO Joe Nolan also penned a letter to President Biden to voice his concerns about an energy and natural gas shortage, as well.

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