We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Eversource is a member of the American Gas Association and William J. Akley, President of Gas Operations serves as an Advisory Directors on the Board of Directors (updated March 2022)
William J. Akley, President, Gas Operations
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Eversource is a member of the American Gas Association and William J. Akley, President of Gas Operations serves as an Advisory Directors on the Board of Directors (updated March 2022)
William J. Akley, President, Gas Operations
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Eversource remains a member company of the Edison Electric Institute, however it no longer serves on the board (updated November 2021)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Jim Judge, the Chairman, President, and CEO of Eversource serves on the Board of Directors of the Edison Electric Institute
Jim Judge
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Eversource remains a member company of the Edison Electric Institute, however it no longer serves on the board (updated November 2021)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Jim Judge, the Chairman, President, and CEO of Eversource serves on the Board of Directors of the Edison Electric Institute
Jim Judge
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
Open PDF file of Data Source
Climate Lobbying Overview: Eversource Energy appears to be lobbying with mostly negative positions on climate change policy, primarily in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The company has lobbied against pro-solar net metering policies, while consistently supporting the long-term role for fossil gas in the energy mix. Eversource’s efforts to oppose local gas bans align with its membership to the American Gas Association, which has led a campaign to preempt electrification mandates since 2019.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Eversource seems to have limited and mixed top-line messaging on climate policy. At the October 2021 Connecticut Economy conference, CEO Joe Nolan appeared to support government regulation to respond to climate change. The company has shown a mixed position on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's potential federal carbon pricing proposal in 2020, expressing concern that federal carbon pricing mechanisms could interfere with state-level climate policies. In its September 2021 sustainability report, Eversource stated support for state and regional emissions reduction goals, however it is unclear if the company supports emissions reductions in line with IPCC recommendations. Eversource does not appear to disclose a position on the Paris Agreement.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: Eversource appears to be engaging on state-level climate policies with mixed positions. In March 2021, Eversource submitted testimony in support of Connecticut Senate Bill 952 on authorizing grid-scale solar and energy storage deployment targets. On the other hand, the company has a record of opposing net metering policies, testifying directly in February 2021 against Connecticut Senate Bill 220 on municipal net metering credits and in January 2018 against New Hampshire Senate Bill 446 on expanding the state net metering program. Eversource also opposed net metering bills in New Hampshire’s spring 2020 legislative session, including Senate Bill 446 and Senate Bill 518. In May 2021, Eversource directly advocated to Massachusetts policymakers to delay any increases in the state Clean Energy Standard, arguing that raising the standard would inflict economic and technical costs.
Eversource has supported energy efficiency and emissions trading measures. In February 2021, Eversource submitted testimony in support of Connecticut Senate Bill 863 and in October 2020, the Concord Monitor reported on the company’s support for New Hampshire's Statewide Energy Efficiency Plan. In March 2021, Eversource directly advocated in support of Senate Bill 884, which would have included the Transportation and Climate emissions trading initiative in the Governor’s budget proposal. In a May 2021 earnings call, CEO Joe Nolan appeared to support President Biden’s offshore wind energy targets. In 2020 Eversource supported the GHG emissions reduction target in Massachusetts, however in 2019 the company directly advocated to state policymakers to oppose reporting requirements for fossil gas leaks.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Eversource engages with mostly negative positions on the energy transition, focusing on preserving the role of fossil gas on the state and local level. In spring 2020, Eversource conducted a survey in Massachusetts to scope out local opinions on fossil gas bans. As reported by E&E News in June 2021, Eversource later brought these survey materials to a November 2020 Energy Solutions Center (ESC) strategy meeting on anti-electrification messaging. In April 2021, the Boston Globe reported that Eversource had delivered a presentation on opposing “anti-gas pressure” at an ESC consortium meeting in March and that in response to subsequent negative public opinion, had withdrawn its membership from the group.
Eversource has also engaged on a recent regulatory development related to fossil gas in Massachusetts. According to a Grist article in July 2020, Eversource stated support for the Massachusetts attorney general’s call for an inquiry into the future of fossil gas while appearing to recommend the use of “renewable natural gas” without clearly defining the gas or conditions on methane abatement or CCS. In a November 2020 earnings call, Eversource executives stated that they did not consider the future of gas inquiry “as a “threat to the gas distribution in the region at all.” As reported by the Boston Globe in October 2021, Eversource ultimately co-authored the first draft of the Future of Gas investigation along with other gas companies including National Grid.
According to a September 2021 RTO Insider article, CEO Joe Nolan appears to support Connecticut’s goal of decarbonizing the state power sector by 2040. However, Eversource has engaged on Connecticut legislation, including March 2020 testimony on House Bill 5350 and February 2021 testimony on House Bill 6409 advocating for the expansion of “renewable natural gas” without clear conditions on methane abatement or CCS. Additionally, in October 2021 the Energy News Network reported on how Eversource did not appear to support any pro-electrification modifications to Connecticut’s original gas expansion program. In addition, Eversource disclosed in its 2020 CDP response that it has lobbied Connecticut lawmakers to support fossil gas in Connecticut’s Comprehensive Energy Strategy. In 2018, Huffington Post reported that Eversource participated in and funded the Mass Coalition for Sustainable Energy, an advocacy group which appears to support unabated fossil gas in Massachusetts.
Industry Association Governance: Eversource discloses its trade association membership on its website, but does not disclose the role Eversource has in each association or any attempts to influence the association’s positions on climate policy. In its 2020 CDP response, Eversource provided some transparency on its engagement with trade associations and their alignment on climate policy positions. Eversource serves on the board of directors for the American Gas Association, which maintains a broadly negative stance toward climate policy focused on protecting the role of fossil fuel infrastructure, including recent lobbying against the proposed methane fee in the Biden administration reconciliation bill. Eversource is also a member of the Edison Electric Institute, which holds generally mixed positions on climate policy and offered mixed support for climate provisions in the reconciliation bill.