Massachusetts Governor Asks Trump Administration to Expedite Enbridge Gas Pipeline Review

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has called on the Trump administration to expedite the federal review of a key natural gas pipeline expansion in New England. The request aims to address soaring consumer energy bills in a region that has historically opposed new fossil fuel infrastructure.

Project Details and Economic Impact

The project in question is the Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement (RARE) project, an expansion of the Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline operated by a unit of Canadian energy firm Enbridge (ENB). According to the governor, the project is expected to:

• Provide a reliable gas supply for 600,000 customers.
• Lower annual natural gas bills by an estimated $40 million.
• Expand the pipeline's capacity by approximately 75 million cubic feet per day.

Enbridge has stated on its website that it is targeting a 2028 in-service date for the RARE project. The existing Algonquin pipeline currently transports about 3.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) across New Jersey, New York, and New England.

Strategic Rationale and Regional Context

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Governor Healey's administration stated that the additional supply from the RARE project would reduce the state's dependence on higher-cost imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Constellation Energy’s Everett terminal. The move signals a potential policy shift in the U.S. Northeast, where several states are becoming more open to fossil fuel projects to combat high energy prices.

"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,” Healey said in a statement. The project is currently undergoing a federal environmental review by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Regulatory Background

The request for federal acceleration follows state-level approvals. In January, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) approved two 10-year agreements between units of New England utility Eversource Energy (ES) and Algonquin to facilitate the delivery of new gas supplies to customers.