Campaign finance records show donations totaling $17,775 from Eversource staff and lobbyists to Gov. Maura Healey in 2026, weeks before she pressed the federal government to speed its review of a gas pipeline project.
Here's what to know
The Boston Globe reported that questions arose after Healey's Oct. 1 request, following a Sept. 17 fundraiser hosted by lobbyists at a firm working with Eversource—timing that climate advocates did not miss.
Of the $17,775 total, $9,975 came from Eversource employees, and $7,800 came from lobbyists at firms representing the company. The employee donations included $1,000 from chief executive Joseph Nolan Jr.—the annual maximum individual contribution to a candidate—along with contributions from the utility's finance chief and several other senior executives.
Healey wrote to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and state regulators have already approved Eversource's plan to buy gas from Enbridge's $300 million Algonquin pipeline expansion.
Her administration maintains that increasing domestic natural gas supply would lower customer costs and reduce New England's dependence on imported fuel. A Healey campaign spokesperson told the Globe that donations played no role in the governor's position and said she had supported the project.
Itai Vardi, a research manager at the Energy and Policy Institute, was not convinced. "You can't help but think that the timing of the contribution is one that seeks a return from the governor."
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More background
As attorney general, Healey took a different position, opposing pipeline expansion projects in Massachusetts on the grounds that added gas capacity was unnecessary and would undermine climate progress.
But Healey has stood her ground, saying her approach has consistently supported projects that benefit Massachusetts residents.
Healey's administration says the project would serve 600,000 gas customers and cut bills by about $40 million a year. Critics argue the expansion would lock in additional gas use when the state should be moving away from fuel.
Coal and natural gas plants are major sources of air and water pollution linked to asthma, heart disease, cancer, and premature death. Continued dependence on those fuels can also keep household energy costs elevated, rather than using cleaner power from abundant sources such as sunlight and wind.
Additionally, on Sept. 30, Nolan said at a conference that governors in states where Eversource operates might "take a whack or knock at us" but still tell him, "Hey, nothing personal, Joe. You know you're our friend."
Vick Mohanka, chapter director at the Massachusetts Sierra Club, said that was a "hush-hush, wink-wink way to say that what they're telling the public and what they're actually doing are two different things."
The Healey campaign would not comment on Nolan's remarks.
What's being done?
Lowering energy bills has become central to what Healey's administration calls an "all of the above" strategy, and the letter to Wright was its most direct action on this pipeline. In it, the governor pressed the Trump administration to accelerate the review so the expansion could proceed.
Eversource is also publicly backing the plan. William Hinkle, an Eversource spokesperson, told the Globe that company leaders have long wanted more energy supply, and he described support for Eversource's gas contract as a "no-brainer" because of the projected savings.
At the same time, watchdogs and environmental groups continue to pressure the administration over both the project and the donations surrounding it. Brad Campbell, president of the Conservation Law Foundation, said the contributions were a "non-issue at this scale" given Healey's more than $4 million in 2026 fundraising, though he also warned that utilities still wield outsized policy influence.
The issue has also spilled into electoral politics. Massachusetts Republican Party chair Amy Carnevale criticized the donations, while Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue said Healey was "following my lead" on pipeline investment. Healey's campaign responded by pointing to his 2025 statement of financial interests and noting that he is an Eversource shareholder.
Where can I learn more?
These stories dig further into the fights over gas expansion, utility influence, and state energy policy.
• In Massachusetts, utilities poured $100M into gas lines after 10 communities went fossil fuel free.
• The American Petroleum Institute launched a multi-million-dollar ad campaign to sway 2024 election voters.
• In Louisiana, lawmakers kept pushing natural gas expansion despite warnings about public health.
• In Michigan, state lawmakers sought a rollback of local zoning rules for energy development.
• In New York, the Assembly passed legislation making polluters pay for climate damages.
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