In Massachusetts, a state with some of the most ambitious decarbonization policies in the country, fundamental disagreements between utilities and consumer advocates threaten to derail the transition from natural gas before it even gets off the ground.

Two and a half years after taking the helm at the Massachusetts DPU, Chair Jamie Van Nostrand is leaving after leading it through a series of major changes in its approach to natural gas regulation.

Business groups and environmental advocates expressed divergent views on a proposal by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities that would require new gas customers to cover the entire cost of connecting to the system.

After negotiations extending well past the end of the formal legislative session, Massachusetts lawmakers are nearing passage of a wide-ranging climate and energy bill.

In a reflection of broader disagreements across the New England energy landscape, speakers at a Northeast energy conference presented divergent visions of the future role of natural gas.

“The clock is ticking,” Sen. Mike Barrett, Senate co-chair of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, told NetZero Insider.