Healey creating Energy Transformation Office for town by town decarbonization ideas

Gov. Maura Healey is adding to state government's energy bureaucracy with a new Office of the Energy Transformation that the administration says will execute a "community-by-community decarbonization strategy."

Massachusetts has been gradually adopting cleaner energy sources and reducing carbon emissions is required under state law. But fossil fuels remain in widespread use and businesses and residents face significant transition costs.

The new Office of the Energy Transformation "will provide leadership in strategic planning, roadmap development, and stakeholder engagement to advance the transformation of the state's energy delivery ecosystem," the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, led by Secretary Rebecca Tepper, said in its Friday morning announcement.

Former National Grid New England head of corporate affairs Melissa Lavinson was named executive director of the new office, which will focus on electric infrastructure, working with electric and gas utilities, and transitioning people off of fossil fuels.

The office adds to the existing Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the state Department of Energy Resources and the Department of Public Utilities. Healey last year also added Melissa Hoffer as the state's first climate chief and created an Office of Climate Innovation and Resilience within the governor’s office.

A new Energy Transformation Task Force is also envisioned, with Lavinson charged with convening industry, labor and supply chain representatives, and others "to accelerate cooperation and understanding of the current state of the energy transition."

“We are committed to equitably and fairly transitioning to clean energy. This means working closely with workers and businesses to set them up for success in an economy powered by clean energy,” Healey said in a statement. "Melissa Lavinson joins our team with close working relationships with the utilities and unions and will be able to build quick consensus as we make the transition away from fossil fuels. She’ll be able to translate our policy goals into real-world actions.”

Lavinson previously worked at Exelon Corporation; Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), the parent company of Pepco, Delmarva Power and Atlantic City Electric; California-based PG&E Corporation, and at MRW and Associates and ICF Consulting.

The announcement did not include information about Lavinson's starting salary. Plans call for the hiring of two other staffers.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Former National Grid exec named named boss of new agency