Climate Lobbying Overview: Avangrid appears to be engaging with mixed positions on U.S. federal and state climate policies, with a significant presence in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. Although the company has positive top-line messaging on climate policy, it appears to be strategically protecting the role of fossil gas in the energy mix. Avangrid is a member of several industry associations which similarly promote fossil gas, including Edison Electric Institute, the American Gas Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Top-Line Messaging on Climate Policy: Avangrid demonstrates positive but limited top-line messaging on climate policy. In January 2021, Avangrid tweeted its support for the U.S. re-entry to the Paris Agreement. A few months later, Avangrid subsidiary Central Maine Power (CMP) directly advocated to policymakers in May 2021 to support Maine Legislative Document 1682, which authorized the state Public Utilities Commission to consider climate in its decision-making. In October 2021, Avangrid published a Climate Action Policy on its website in which the company appeared to broadly support government regulation to respond to climate change. In the same month, Avangrid released a blog post in which it supported the climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act.

Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: Avangrid appears to engage with mixed positions on climate-related policies. At the federal level, the company seems supportive of the Biden Administration’s climate goals: in January 2022, Avangrid signed a joint letter organized by the American Clean Power Association that advocated to Congressional leadership to pass the clean energy tax credits in the Build Back Better Act; the following month, in February 2022, then-CEO Dennis Arriola was present at the meeting between President Biden and utility executives to discuss the clean energy tax credits from the Build Back Better Act.

In contrast, Avangrid has demonstrated mixed engagement on regional and state climate policies. In Connecticut, the company submitted testimony in March 2021 in support of Senate Bill 884, which would have enabled the state to join the Transportation and Climate Initiative. The company has also advocated for ambitious federal and state offshore wind targets, submitting comments in support of the New York Bight lease sale in August 2021 and recommending a higher 2045 offshore wind target during a May 2022 workshop with the California Energy Commission. However, in its May 2021 testimony to the Oregon Revenue Committee on the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, subsidiary Avangrid Renewables appeared to oppose renewable energy requirements.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Avangrid takes mostly negative positions on the energy mix, in which it supports clean energy funding but advocates for the long-term role of fossil gas. The company appears to be supportive of federal electrification proposals: for example, in October 2022 Avangrid submitted joint comments in support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s energy efficiency proposal for furnaces and advocated for its fuel-switching provisions. However, Avangrid is strategically protecting the role of fossil gas, particularly in the New England states, suggesting misalignment from IPCC guidance: in Massachusetts, along with other utilities, Avangrid subsidiary Berkshire Gas led the Future of Gas engagement process as part of the Department of Public Utilities docket on the role of local gas distribution companies (LDCs) in achieving the state’s 2050 decarbonization goals; in its March 2022 draft proposal, the subsidiary promoted the long-term role of fossil gas in the state’s decarbonization strategy. In New York, Avangrid’s subsidiaries submitted individual and joint comments in July 2022 on the Draft Scoping Plan that pushed back on its building electrification proposals and advocated for fuel alternatives to building electrification, including hydrogen blended with fossil gas. In a May 2021 earnings call, then-CEO Arriola stated that fossil gas would be a “fuel of choice” in the long-term in the New England region, adding that fossil gas is a “clean, efficient, affordable source of energy.”

Industry Association Governance: Avangrid does not appear to disclose any information on its industry association memberships on its corporate website. The President of an Avangrid subsidiary serves on the Board of Directors for the American Gas Association (AGA), while Avangrid's former CEO Dennis Arriola served on the Board of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. However, the company's current CEO, Pedro Azagra Blázquez, does not appear to serve on the Board of either EEI or the US Chamber, although the company retains membership to both groups. Both AGA and the U.S. Chamber demonstrate strategic negative positions on climate policy, while EEI engages with more mixed positions.