How we uncovered Beacon Hill’s climate rollback plan

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Hi Reader, I'm really proud of a series of stories we recently published breaking the news of a plan hatched in the State House to use Gov. Maura Healey's landmark energy affordability bill as a vehicle to roll back the state's larger 2030 climate commitments. The story broke open an intense debate that had been taking place behind closed doors, spilling the plan crafted on Beacon Hill into the public domain and shining a light not only on the sweeping changes under consideration, but also on the truncated process by which lawmakers had hoped to advance them. We followed this story the whole way through. After publishing a reaction piece capturing the anger and exasperation felt by environmental advocates, we then obtained the actual bill text, which revealed far greater detail of the House plan than anyone had seen. From there, we tracked each twist and turn, including the bill's committee approval, and continued pressing for answers. That meant challenging the sponsor's claims about leadership support and revealing the sponsor's ability to attract campaign contributions from the state's utility companies just before and after his bill introduction. Finally, we reported when House leaders shelved the bill until 2026 due to concerns over its most controversial provisions weakening the 2030 climate goals and cutting Mass Save funding. Taken together, this reporting showed how CommonWealth Beacon stayed several steps ahead of the competition during one of the biggest legislative battles of the 2025 session. We were able to contextualize the broader stakes: energy affordability concerns, implications for climate policy, and the divisions within the Democratic supermajority as Healey heads into her reelection campaign. The series sparked fierce debate among lawmakers, lobbyists, and advocates and quickly became the primary source of information around Beacon Hill's plans. Reporting like this requires time, persistence, and independence to keep asking tough questions. If you value journalism that brings transparency and holds institutions accountable, I hope you’ll consider supporting CommonWealth Beacon today. GIVE TODAY Jordan Wolman Senior Reporter MAKE A GIFT P.S. — Prefer to give by mail? Checks can be sent to 11 Beacon Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02108. We also gratefully accept donations through donor-advised funds via our EIN: 04-3271457. 11 Beacon St., Suite 500 Boston, MA 02108 CommonWealth Beacon relies on donations, and fundraisers like this one, to exist. We appreciate your patience with extra emails during these times.

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