麻州長Healey呼籲川普政府加速審查天然氣管道擴建案

    （Boston Orange編譯） 麻州州長奚莉（Maura Healey）今（1）日致函川普政府，呼籲聯邦加速審查阿爾岡昆（Algonquin）天然氣管道擴建案（即RARE計畫），以為麻州60萬戶天然氣用戶開闢新供應源，每年省下約4,000萬美元電費與氣費負擔，降低州民能源負擔。

    奚莉州長在發給美國能源部長萊特（Chris Wright）的信中強調，麻州正面臨能源需求挑戰，必須採取包含太陽能、風力、核能與天然氣等「全方位」供應策略。RARE計畫主要是升級現有管道設施，相關開發費用全數由業者承擔，不會轉嫁給一般納稅人。她敦促聯邦政府建立明確的時間表並跨部會協調，在確保環境評估與社區溝通品質的前提下盡速完成審查。

    麻州公共事業廳（DPU）已於今年1月批准主要能源公司 Eversource 與阿爾岡昆天然氣管道公司（Algonquin）簽署10年供氣合約。此擴建案可有效減少麻州對高價進口液化天然氣（LNG）的依賴，目前該案正由聯邦能源法規委員會（FERC）進行環境審查中。

Governor Healey Calls on Trump Administration to Expedite Review of Gas Pipeline Expansion

 Project would bring additional gas supply into Massachusetts and lower bills for 600,000 customers

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey today called on the Trump Administration to expedite federal review of the expansion of the Algonquin gas pipeline, known as the Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement (RARE) Project, that she has previously supported. The project is expected to provide gas supply to 600,000 gas customers and lower gas bills by $40 million each year.

“I’ve been clear that we need to bring more energy supply into Massachusetts with an all-of-the-above approach that includes solar, wind, storage, nuclear, geothermal, hydro and gas,” said Governor Healey. “This project will lower costs for 600,000 customers, and the development will be paid for by the developer, not ratepayers. Massachusetts is moving forward with its review, and I’m asking the federal government to do the same – move quickly and keep this project on track so customers can see the savings.”

In a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Governor Healey urged the Trump Administration to move quickly on the federal reviews and permits required for RARE and to establish clear schedules, coordinate across federal agencies and dedicate the resources necessary to keep the project on track. She also emphasized that an expedited timeline should not come at the expense of environmental review or meaningful engagement with affected communities. As an expansion, most of the construction work will involve upgrading infrastructure already in place.  

In January, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) approved two 10-year agreements between Eversource gas utilities and Algonquin to deliver new gas supplies to customers. 

The additional gas supply is expected to reduce reliance on higher-cost imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Everett LNG Terminal, resulting in $40 million in direct savings per year. The project is currently undergoing federal environmental review through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.