A plan by the governor which she says will save Bay State ratepayers $10 billion over the next ten years was the subject of an almost six hour hearing on Beacon Hill — with opponents questioning whether lawmakers were just going through purely theatrical motions, and supporters calling the proposal a step toward lowered costs.

Healey’s plan, An Act relative to energy affordability, independence and innovation, aims to lower utility costs and bring new energy products into the state market. The bill was announced in early May and heard Wednesday by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.

It was offered on the heels of a truly brutal winter for Massachusetts residents struggling to afford the cost of heating their homes and arrived before the committee in the midst of an ongoing record-breaking heatwave.

“This bill is critically important for our state. It tackles rising energy costs by lowering the gas and electric bills that have spiked nationwide and here in Massachusetts,” she said.

“It’s appropriate, I guess, that we’re talking about this during such a major heatwave. People have their air conditioning running nonstop and they are worried about electric costs. We need to get people relief, and that’s what this bill does,” Healey said.

According to the governor, the bill tackles costs in a way that allows the economy to grow while fueling innovation and creating “good jobs.” If it becomes law as written, the bill would save people money right away by stripping some state mandated charges — like the Alternative Portfolio Standard charge — off of consumers’ energy bills.

It would go further, Healey said, by raising the income cap for discounted utility rates in order to include more middle-income households. The proposal would also increase the amount and kind of energy generation allowed in Massachusetts through an “all-of-the-above” approach to power generation, and by reducing barriers to small-scale nuclear reactor construction. According to Healey, “more energy from more sources means lower costs.”

“And energy independence insulates us from the price and supply shocks of global energy markets and federal policy shifts, which we’ve already been experiencing,” she said.

Independent analysis shared by Healey’s office on Wednesday showed that, when combined with other actions she’s taken, the governor’s energy agenda could save ratepayers upwards of $19.7 billion over the next decade.

Healey’s gubernatorial opponents, former MBTA chief Brian Shortsleeve and former Housing Secretary Mike Kennealy both preempted her testimony by placing the blame for high energy costs on the governor’s policies.

“Massachusetts citizens are rightfully furious that their lived experiences are being overwritten by political theater and partisan stunts. Outrageous energy bills can be traced back directly to Maura Healey’s partisan climate agenda,” Kennealy said in a statement.

Shortsleeve suggested Healey is posturing with her proposal, the ostensible results of which he believes could be achieved immediately via executive action.

“She could provide immediate relief with a stroke of the pen, but instead offers window dressing that does nothing to address the root causes driving high costs,” Shortsleeve said.

Both men took aim at Healey for not doing more to bring natural gas into the state’s energy market, which they said is a cheaper option for struggling households.

Mass Fiscal Alliance Executive Director Paul Craney said that bill doesn’t do enough to change the policies that made the state one of the most expensive energy markets in the nation to begin with.

“If Governor Healey is serious about lowering energy costs, she should start by repealing the NetZero mandate that’s driving up prices and destabilizing our energy system,” Craney said. “Anything less is just political cover leading into an election season.”

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