# Winter is coming in Massachusetts **URL:** \ **Category:** Macro Economic Trends and Risks\ **Created:** [October 2, 2026, 11:16pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657 "2026-10-02T23:16:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrBob2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/drbob2/32/3456_2.png) [@DrBob2](https://discussion.fool.com/u/DrBob2)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 11:16pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/1 "2026-10-02T23:16:22Z")
New England uses a lot of heating oil, one of the few places in the country to do so. It also uses natural gas. With limited pipeline supply Massachusetts also imports LNG from Algeria which is rather expensive. The governor, Maura Healey, this week asked President Trump to expedite the approval of expanded nat gas pipeline supply. When running for governor she was proud about stopping two pipelines from coming into the state. Karma, I guess. > **[Gov. Healey asks feds to expedite review of proposed gas pipeline expansion...](https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/10/01/governor-healey-project-rare-natural-gas-pipeline-expansion-fossil-fuels-climate)** > > Gov. Healey is asking the Trump administration to expedite its review of a proposed natural gas pipeline expansion project in New England. _“This project will lower costs for 600,000 customers,” Healey said in a statement. “Massachusetts is moving forward with its review, and I’m asking the federal government to do the same — move quickly and keep this project on track so customers can see the savings.”…_ _Healey’s letter to the federal government lands at a tricky political moment in the state. Massachusetts has legally binding requirements to slash planet-warming emissions — targets that require reducing use of natural gas…_ _“The Sierra Club is deeply disappointed by the governor’s choices around fossil fuel expansion,” said Vick Mohanka, the group’s Massachusetts chapter president. “We endorsed her when she came into office the first time as governor because she campaigned on being a climate champion. So seeing this about-turn is really hard for us.”_ DB2 ---
**Author:** ![eldemonio](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/eldemonio/32/36963_2.png) [@eldemonio](https://discussion.fool.com/u/eldemonio)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 1:41am UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/2 "2026-10-03T01:41:19Z")
> [@DrBob2](#): > > Karma, I guess. She probably didn’t have quagmire in Iran on her bingo card. ---
**Author:** ![mostlylong](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/mostlylong/32/3943_2.png) [@mostlylong](https://discussion.fool.com/u/mostlylong)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 1:49am UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/3 "2026-10-03T01:49:37Z")
> [@eldemonio](#): > > > [@DrBob2](#): > > > > Karma, I guess. > > She probably didn’t have quagmire If karma = [colonel bone spurs] marches us into quicksand, then I guess we all got a buncha karma right now. ---
**Author:** ![captainccs](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/captainccs/32/3775_2.png) [@captainccs](https://discussion.fool.com/u/captainccs)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 10:25am UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/4 "2026-10-03T10:25:36Z")
> [@DrBob2](#): > > Karma, I guess. Karma: - Say what is needed to **get** elected. - Say what is needed to **stay** elected. The Captain ---
**Author:** ![DrBob2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/drbob2/32/3456_2.png) [@DrBob2](https://discussion.fool.com/u/DrBob2)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 10:53am UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/5 "2026-10-03T10:53:40Z")
> [@eldemonio](#): > > She probably didn’t have quagmire in Iran on her bingo card. The US has plenty of natural gas; it is just that Massachusetts thought they didn’t need it. DB2 ---
**Author:** ![eldemonio](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/eldemonio/32/36963_2.png) [@eldemonio](https://discussion.fool.com/u/eldemonio)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 11:02am UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/6 "2026-10-03T11:02:06Z")
> [@DrBob2](#): > > The US has plenty of natural gas; it is just that Massachusetts thought they didn’t need it. They didn’t, until the quagmire in Iran. ---
**Author:** ![DrBob2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/drbob2/32/3456_2.png) [@DrBob2](https://discussion.fool.com/u/DrBob2)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 11:20am UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/7 "2026-10-03T11:20:20Z")
> [@eldemonio](#): > > They didn’t, until the quagmire in Iran. Environmentalists in the state opposed the building of the infrastructure (pipelines) to provide cheap nat gas that most of the US enjoys. However, the need was still there in the winter so they used a 50-year old LNG facility to provide the missing 25%. But this is an election year and affordability has become more important than environmentalism. DB2 ---
**Author:** ![eldemonio](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/eldemonio/32/36963_2.png) [@eldemonio](https://discussion.fool.com/u/eldemonio)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 12:28pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/8 "2026-10-03T12:28:48Z")
> [@DrBob2](#): > > However, the need was still there in the winter so they used a 50-year old LNG facility to provide the missing 25%. That LNG has historically been imported from foreign sources. Now, foreign LNG prices have skyrocketed. Why? The quagmire in Iran. Furthermore, the federal government has seriously impacted MA’s transition to clean energy by eliminating funds already appropriated by Congress. > [@DrBob2](#): > > But this is an election year and affordability has become more important than environmentalism. She’s probably betting the quagmire won’t end anytime soon. Given the slashed funding for clean energy projects, she’s probably betting she has a better chance of getting a pipeline approved. ---
**Author:** ![eldemonio](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/eldemonio/32/36963_2.png) [@eldemonio](https://discussion.fool.com/u/eldemonio)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/9 "2026-10-03T12:40:09Z")
> [@captainccs](#): > > - Say what is needed to **get** elected. > - Say what is needed to **stay** elected. The environmental lobby is strong like bull in MA. It’s quite likely the governor will lose a lot of that support by trying to push through this pipeline. ---
**Author:** ![mostlylong](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/mostlylong/32/3943_2.png) [@mostlylong](https://discussion.fool.com/u/mostlylong)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 1:14pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/10 "2026-10-03T13:14:15Z")
> [@DrBob2](#): > > affordability has become more important than environmentalism. On one side you have the **militant green coalition** of the **Israel-Iran-US-Houthi alliance** and their blockade and siege of fossil fuel supply and infrastructure - and the **coalition now grows** with the Massachusetts Sierra Club. On the other side you have citizens pressed into fossil fuel conservation by the high prices caused by the militant greens - as winter approaches. A militant blockade and siege approach on pipeline and refinery infrastructure is an **extreme** and **expensive** tactic for the new green energy alliance, but the signals through the fossil fuel market are clear and dramatic: “ **Supply is restricted** and **prices are dramatically higher** - consume less fossil fuel or be pressed into high costs of sourcing fuel elsewhere.” Militant greens “like the world has never seen.” Have you ever seen a militant green alliance with this global reach and impact on suppressing fossil fuel supply? It’s unprecedented. If the MA Sierra Club were to launch drone attacks on the new pipeline, this militancy will expand. ---
**Author:** ![FOOLME45](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/foolme45/32/2642_2.png) [@FOOLME45](https://discussion.fool.com/u/FOOLME45)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/11 "2026-10-03T13:27:41Z")
> [@eldemonio](#): > > The environmental lobby is strong like bull in MA ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/original/3X/4/3/43e24cb24c5246702e7df1163f36fac1cf42a69c.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![DrBob2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/drbob2/32/3456_2.png) [@DrBob2](https://discussion.fool.com/u/DrBob2)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/12 "2026-10-03T13:37:06Z")
> [@eldemonio](#): > > That LNG has historically been imported from foreign sources. Right – the Jones Act. > [@eldemonio](#): > > Now, foreign LNG prices have skyrocketed. LNG has always been more expensive than the pipeline stuff (obviously). For example, back in January it sold for more than twice as much per BTU. Massachusetts chose to go with the more expensive setup, and Healey bragged about it. > **[LNG Prices Explained: Henry Hub, TTF & JKM Benchmarks](https://liquefiednaturalgas.org/market/pricing/)** > > How LNG is priced: the Henry Hub, TTF and JKM benchmarks compared, oil-indexed vs hub contracts, delivered cost breakdown and the 2026 outlook. DB2 ---
**Author:** ![mostlylong](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/mostlylong/32/3943_2.png) [@mostlylong](https://discussion.fool.com/u/mostlylong)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/13 "2026-10-03T13:46:02Z")
> [@foolme45](#): > > ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/original/3X/4/3/43e24cb24c5246702e7df1163f36fac1cf42a69c.jpeg) Carbon tax is an **old, weak** approach. Have you considered **more militant** methods? The new militant greens use drones and naval destroyers to blockade shipping and lay siege to pipeline and refinery infrastructure. **$100s of billions per year in tax and economic costs** to the **US residents** alone (yet more costs from other alliance members), but this green alliance believes the costs are worth the outcome in reduced fossil fuel supply. ---
**Author:** ![mostlylong](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/mostlylong/32/3943_2.png) [@mostlylong](https://discussion.fool.com/u/mostlylong)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 2:14pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/15 "2026-10-03T14:14:32Z")
> [@FOOLME45](#): > > green movement is fully willing to allow for people to starve and freeze death 100% The casualties and fatalities are certainly uncountable, especially in Iran, and of course this human cost extends well beyond some cold nights. The Iranians have the cold nights plus a few less citizens. But bombed out schools and bridges and roads can be rebuilt. The militant green tactics are extreme, no doubt, but they are effective at reducing fossil fuel supply and raising fuel costs. ---
**Author:** ![iampops5](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/iampops5/32/1543_2.png) [@iampops5](https://discussion.fool.com/u/iampops5)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/16 "2026-10-03T15:22:58Z")
Nobody has to respond to 45’s nasty troll posts. ---
**Author:** ![eldemonio](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/eldemonio/32/36963_2.png) [@eldemonio](https://discussion.fool.com/u/eldemonio)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/17 "2026-10-03T15:33:46Z")
> [@DrBob2](#): > > Right – the Jones Act. That’s part of it, but even now with it suspended, none of the domestic supply is headed to MA. Tanker capacity is low and US suppliers make more money exporting to other countries. > [@DrBob2](#): > > For example, back in January it sold for more than twice as much per BTU. Massachusetts chose to go with the more expensive setup, and Healey bragged about it. So what? Many of her constituents might not have cared about paying more than twice as much if it meant moving away from fossil fuels. Seems like their pain point is having to pay more than 4X as much…because of the quagmire. ---
**Author:** ![DrBob2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/drbob2/32/3456_2.png) [@DrBob2](https://discussion.fool.com/u/DrBob2)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:46pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/18 "2026-10-03T15:46:51Z")
> [@eldemonio](#): > > Many of her constituents might not have cared about paying more than twice as much if it meant moving away from fossil fuels But they were still using natural gas, just the more expensive LNG version. DB2 ---
**Author:** ![eldemonio](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/eldemonio/32/36963_2.png) [@eldemonio](https://discussion.fool.com/u/eldemonio)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/19 "2026-10-03T16:16:05Z")
> [@DrBob2](#): > > But they were still using natural gas, just the more expensive LNG version. They weren’t planning on paying more forever. The plan was (maybe still is?) to transition to clean energy. New fossil fuel infrastructure isn’t **needed** , nor **wanted** if people are willing and able to pay 2X higher short-term costs for LNG. 4X costs might be too much for them to afford. It may be difficult for you to understand, (no offense intended), but the people of MA may want a clean energy future more than the lowest cost energy. ---
**Author:** ![DrBob2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/drbob2/32/3456_2.png) [@DrBob2](https://discussion.fool.com/u/DrBob2)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/20 "2026-10-03T16:46:02Z")
> [@eldemonio](#): > > …the people of MA may want a clean energy future more than the lowest cost energy. That could be, but there is clearly a limit on what they want to pay for that future. It is still not clear to me how either swapping pipeline gas for LNG or the reverse leads to a clean energy future. It is still methane they are burning to heat their buildings. DB2 ---
**Author:** ![eldemonio](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/eldemonio/32/36963_2.png) [@eldemonio](https://discussion.fool.com/u/eldemonio)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657/21 "2026-10-03T18:00:13Z")
> [@DrBob2](#): > > That could be, but there is clearly a limit on what they want to pay for that future. Agreed, it would appear that paying more than 4X the cost is more than they’re willing to pay. > [@DrBob2](#): > > It is still not clear to me how either swapping pipeline gas for LNG or the reverse leads to a clean energy future. It is still methane they are burning to heat their buildings. MA cannot meet all of their energy demand with renewables…yet. I think their plan was shooting for 2050, but I could be wrong. Why would they invest in new infrastructure to swap over to pipeline gas if they’re planning to be completely fossil free by 2050? It makes sense that they’d opt for more expensive short-term LNG using existing infrastructure, as long as consumers are willing to tolerate higher prices. As mentioned before, the Iran war and federal slashing of appropriated funds has impacted MA’s ability to execute a transition to clean energy. It seems silly to bash the governor for adjusting her plan, given the current realities that are outside of her control. [Next page](https://discussion.fool.com/t/winter-is-coming-in-massachusetts/126657.md?page=2)