Massachusetts Faces Transparency Failures on Climate Mandates

State accused of hypocrisy in fighting public records requests while failing to comply with its own climate regulations.

Mar. 22, 2026 at 10:38am

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A recent opinion piece in the Boston Herald highlights a series of transparency failures in Massachusetts, where government officials have been accused of ignoring public records deadlines, inflating fees, and resisting disclosure of information that could expose the state's own failure to comply with climate change regulations. The article argues that while Massachusetts has aggressively sued corporations over climate deception, the state has also fought to keep records hidden that show it is not enforcing its own climate mandates.

Why it matters

This case underscores the importance of government transparency and accountability, especially when it comes to critical issues like climate change. If Massachusetts is asking taxpayers to shoulder massive new climate costs, the public should be able to trust that existing laws and regulations are being properly enforced. The hypocrisy of the state fighting transparency while accusing others of deception raises serious concerns about the state's commitment to its own climate agenda.

The details

The article cites several examples of transparency failures in Massachusetts, including a police department demanding $1.8 million for license-plate-reader records, a school employee discussing inflating production costs to deter public records requests, and the state fighting Exxon Mobil's attempts to access records related to the state's own climate regulations and enforcement. Most troublingly, the state acknowledged in sworn testimony that no state agencies have submitted required annual compliance reports on vehicle emissions since 2019, and regulators have not conducted inspections or taken enforcement actions to verify compliance.

  • The state's climate litigation against Exxon Mobil began in recent years.
  • Massachusetts climate law requiring state agencies to track emissions and submit annual compliance reports went into effect in 2019.
  • Since last April, the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has paid over $534,000 to a Boston law firm to defend against public records requests.

The players

Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance

A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates for fiscal responsibility and transparency in Massachusetts government.

Rebecca Tepper

The Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Exxon Mobil

An American oil and gas company that was sued by Massachusetts for allegedly misleading the public about climate change.

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What they’re saying

“Transparency should not be a left or right wing issue, it should be the bare minimum in a functioning democracy.”

— Paul Diego Craney, Executive Director of Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance

“If agencies are not filing required reports, and regulators are not enforcing the rule, then the public has every right to ask whether Massachusetts is serious about the climate commitments it promotes so aggressively.”

— Paul Diego Craney, Executive Director of Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance

What’s next

The Healey administration recently estimated that their climate agenda could cost up to $130 billion by 2050, raising concerns about the state's commitment to transparency and accountability as it seeks to implement costly new climate policies.

The takeaway

This case highlights the troubling hypocrisy of Massachusetts officials demanding transparency from others while resisting disclosure of information that could expose the state's own failure to comply with its own climate change regulations. Taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent, and the public has a right to trust that the government is following the laws it imposes on the private sector.