Tom Barry, Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), attended the State of the Union Address on February 24, as a guest of Massachusetts First District Rep. Richard Neal, Ranking Member on the House Ways and Means Committee.
Barry, who leads the Commonwealth’s designated joint action agency for the not-for-profit, municipal light plants (MLPs) in the state, was in the House gallery during President Donald Trump’s address.
While in Washington, D.C., Barry participated in the American Public Power Association (APPA) Legislative Rally, an annual event bringing together public power utilities from across the country to advocate for public power issues on Capitol Hill.
“At a time when energy affordability is top of mind in Massachusetts and the region, Barry’s presence at the State of the Union heightens awareness of affordability concerns, and the role that public power utilities play in providing superior service at a lower rate, while leading the state with power portfolios that are, on average, 50% carbon-free,” MMWEC noted.
MLPs in Massachusetts offer residential rates that are, on average, half the rates of the investor-owned utilities, putting public power at the forefront of conversations about affordability in the Commonwealth.
“Congressman Neal’s consideration of MMWEC for this event speaks to his longstanding support of public power in the state and his recognition of the role public power can and does play during this heightened period of discussions around energy affordability,” Barry said. “It is my absolute honor to represent the many Massachusetts public power constituents, ratepayers, and stakeholders.”
Six of the municipal utilities in Massachusetts are located in Neal’s congressional district.
MMWEC is a not-for-profit, public corporation and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts created by an Act of the General Court in 1975 and authorized to issue tax-exempt debt to finance a wide range of energy facilities.
MMWEC provides a variety of power supply, financial, risk management and other services to the state’s consumer-owned, municipal utilities. It is the largest provider of asset-owned generation for municipal light departments in New England.
