FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 26, 2026

OP ED Submission

Press Contact:

Vincent Errichetti

(617) 922-1824

Press@johndeatonforsenate.com

The Green New Deal Has No Clothes - And No Solar Panels

The great irony of this Massachusetts U.S. Senate race is currently sitting on my roof in Bolton.

I am the Republican nominee running against Senator Ed Markey, the co-author of the Green New Deal. Yet, if you look at our homes, only one of us is actually generating clean energy for our family every day.

It’s me.

I have solar panels on my house and I drive a Tesla Model Y. I didn’t do it because a government mandate forced my hand; I did it because the technology is superior and the choice made sense for my family. But while I “walk the walk” at home, my opponent - who has spent decades in Washington demanding aggressive climate mandates for everyone else - has no solar panels on his primary residence in Chevy Chase, Maryland or on the house he owns in Malden.

This isn't just about a lack of leading by example. It’s about a fundamental disconnect between a career politician’s rhetoric and the "crushing costs" his policies impose on the rest of us.

The Hochul Concession: A Reality Check

The "Net Zero" fantasy is hitting a wall of economic reality, and we don't have to look far to see it. Just days ago, New York Governor Kathy Hochul - one of the nation's loudest proponents of green mandates - finally conceded that her state’s climate law is "not a sustainable path."

Facing utility hikes that could reach 46% for some residents, Governor Hochul is now calling for a "reality check," admitting that the arbitrary deadlines and rigid mandates she championed are making life unaffordable for working families.

It is time for Senator Ed Markey and Governor Maura Healey to have the same "come to Jesus" moment. For too long, they have treated Massachusetts like a laboratory for a radical political agenda, ignoring the fact that our residents pay some of the highest electricity rates in the nation - roughly 68% higher than the national average.

The Price of Virtue Signaling

Massachusetts is responsible for a tiny fraction of global emissions - less than two days’ worth of China’s output. Yet, Markey and Healey are content to punish our local businesses and taxpayers with "Net Zero" mandates that drive up the cost of everything from home heating to groceries.

When you artificially restrict natural gas and force electrification before the grid is ready, you aren't "saving the planet" - you are bankrupting the single mother in Worcester and the senior citizen in Quincy who has to choose between medicine and heat.

Senator Markey’s Green New Deal is a top-down federal overhaul that prioritizes recycled rhetoric over reliability. My plan is different. It is a pragmatic, "all-of-the-above" strategy focused on lowering your bills:

• Advanced Nuclear: I will fight to bring four 300MW Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to the Commonwealth. These can power 40% of Massachusetts homes with zero-carbon energy at a 97% capacity factor - reliability that wind and solar simply cannot match.

• Natural Gas Bridge: We must stop the war on natural gas and treat it as the reliable bridge it is to ensure our grid doesn't collapse during a New England winter.

• Innovation, Not Mandates: We should expand solar and EVs where they make economic sense, not through forced mandates that prioritize ideology over affordability.

A Choice Between Two Paths

Senator Markey has lost touch with the working families of this state. He is more interested in being the face of a movement in Washington than in the price of a utility bill in Malden.

If a progressive Governor like Kathy Hochul can admit that these mandates are crushing her constituents, why can’t Ed Markey? Why can’t Maura Healey?

Massachusetts deserves a leader who aligns his actions with his words and prioritizes the survival of the middle class over the approval of radical activists. 

I’ve made the choice to go green in my own life because I believe in the technology. As your Senator, I will fight for your right to choose energy that is affordable, reliable, and realistic.

The era of recycled rhetoric is over. It’s time elected leaders in Massachusetts acknowledge the same reality check happening in New York.

John Deaton is a Candidate for U.S. Senate, Veteran and Lead Plaintiff, Deaton et al. v. Clerk of the House.