May
22

 


A provision buried in H.5151—a bill currently moving through the state legislature—poses a serious threat to competitive energy markets in Massachusetts. While the bill's title promises energy affordability, this particular provision would do exactly the opposite by allowing cities and towns to ban competitive energy suppliers from serving residential customers.

Why should retailers care? Because energy is one of the biggest cost factors facing our members. Every store that keeps its lights on, every restaurant that runs a kitchen, every small business that opens its doors each morning depends on affordable electricity. Many of our members are already struggling with the cost of doing business in Massachusetts. This provision would allow local governments to take a key affordability tool out of the hands of consumers– and businesses could be next.


But it’s not just energy market competition that’s at stake. Once the legislature establishes that municipalities may eliminate a competitive market, the question isn't whether that authority will be used elsewhere—it's when. Free market operations cannot and should not be defined by municipal borders. This creates a dangerous precedent and sends a troubling signal to the entire business community about Massachusetts' commitment to maintaining competition.