Climate chief vs. energy affordability and four more stories: The Saturday Send - June 27, 2026

 

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The Saturday Send

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Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, Jordan Wolman profiles the nation’s first cabinet-level state climate chief, Melissa Hoffer. Speaking with three dozen people in government, environmental advocacy, business, and academia, he explores Hoffer’s place in the Healey administration and whether — in an era of Trump and energy affordability — she was set up for success. Plus, Jennifer Smith breaks down the ballot measures and why Mass. is tying its record from the 1994 election cycle; Chris Lisinski covers the transparency groups backing public records reform but staying out of a debate on the auditor's power to probe the Legislature; Senate Dems say their new energy bill could save consumers $14 billion over 10 years; and voters will no longer get a say on rent control this November. Check out those stories below, and, as always, thanks for reading. — The CommonWealth Beacon team

Melissa Hoffer, photographed in her downtown Boston office, was selected by Gov. Maura Healey as the nation's first cabinet-level state climate chief. (Jenny Chen/CommonWealth Beacon)

A climate chief in an era of Trump and energy affordability: Does Melissa Hoffer still get a say? By Jordan Wolman Given how dramatically the landscape has changed around climate change since Hoffer took office, an obvious question emerges: What exactly is her job? And what kind of influence does she hold within the Healey administration?

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How did some of Massachusetts’s buzziest ballot campaigns get tripped up in court? By Jennifer Smith Three ballot measures are dead because they ran afoul of Article 48 — the part of the state Constitution that governs the ballot process. A bad summary, a forbidden subject, and an attempt to direct the Legislature kept them from voters.

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How the House’s sausage-making put transparency groups in a tough spot By Chris Lisinski A trio of good-government and transparency organizations backed the House’s proposal to craft a new public records framework for the Legislature, but they’re straining to avoid the riptide of the audit-the-Legislature debate that representatives tied to the same bill.

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Senate energy bill seeks to end contentious gas pipe replacement program By Jordan Wolman The bill reveals just how deep a chasm has formed between the Legislature’s two Democratic-controlled branches over energy policy after the House passed its version in February

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Mass. high court strikes rent control question from ballot By Chris Lisinski and Jennifer Smith The decision averts a months-long season of aggressive campaigning that seemed sure to generate tens of millions of dollars in spending on attack ads and dire warnings about economic upheaval.

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ADVERTISEMENT   The Senate is debating energy legislation that could phase out GSEP by 2030. Ask your senator to protect public safety, reduce methane leaks, and preserve the skilled jobs that keep Massachusetts' energy system safe. Click here to learn more.

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Can Mass. hit its housing goals? New housing secretary says yes. Gov. Maura Healey’s administration estimates that the state will need 222,000 by 2035 to deal withe existing need and population growth. Her new housing secretary, Juana Matias, says we can meet that goal, and joins CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith to talk about chipping away at decades of sluggish housing production. Matias, who was a state representative and regional administrator at HUD, talks about what she’d like to see come from the end-of-session rush and how the state can weather federal pullbacks on fair housing an public housing. LISTEN NOW

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