A state senator is sounding the alarm as constituent complaints about utility payments proceed to roll in.
Democratic State Sen. Mark Montigny advised his legislative colleagues in a letter dated Thursday that “staggering” fee hikes seen final winter appear to be making a comeback this yr, and that lawmakers should do one thing to grasp what exactly is happening.
“The Commonwealth must prioritize affordable energy as utility delivery charges continue to increase in addition to volatile market rates. The countless complaints from constituents against our utilities’ staggering prices this past winter are an indictment against the Commonwealth’s current energy delivery system and policies. Our communities deserve answers and lower bills before they are pushed further into financial distress,” Montigny wrote.
Montigny has provided a resolve — a legislative automobile akin to a invoice however not destined to develop into regulation — which might set up a “special commission to study the high cost of electricity delivery” within the Bay State and require that the fee report its findings and suggestions again to lawmakers by the top of the yr.
It’s no marvel why the New Bedford state senator has the topic on the highest of his thoughts.
Simply final week, Eversource warned its prospects that extra fee hikes are within the works for this winter season, with some fuel prospects set to see virtually $50 in additional fees on their month-to-month payments beginning on November 1. In accordance with the utility firm, the speed hikes might vary between 13% and 17%, relying on utility utilization.
“We know that any rate increase can be difficult for our customers, which is why we’re encouraging them to prepare before the heating season begins by taking advantage of the programs and plans we have available,” Eversource President of Fuel Distribution Kevin Kelley mentioned whereas saying the elevated fee.
This comes after the state’s electrical suppliers warned of elevated electrical payments as of August, with some prospects seeing charges leap by 12%.
It additionally follows a very brutal winter for Bay State ratepayers, when terribly chilly temperatures met with drastically elevated fuel costs. Some households noticed their heating payments surge upwards by 27% over the earlier yr.
Many residents have been fast to notice that the price of the fuel they have been shopping for was far decrease than the price the utility corporations have been charging to ship it to their properties.
Montigny’s proposed fee can be tasked with learning “the costs of electricity delivery in the commonwealth.” That features investigating what results in excessive supply fees, how different jurisdictions handle to pay much less, and what could trigger fees to extend sooner or later. It could additionally make suggestions for insurance policies or rules to restrict supply fees.
In a letter to the committee dated Sept. 25, Montigny advised his colleagues that the state Legislature should make power affordability a precedence in response to the issues of their constituents.
“This legislation creates a commission to study the factors that contribute to high energy costs, methods to minimize these costs, and likely energy trends in the future. The commission is an opportunity to not only investigate the failures of electricity delivery, but also to prevent further cost rises,” he wrote.
Montigny’s resolve was the topic of a Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Power listening to on Thursday, and although nobody arrived on the listening to to talk for or in opposition to it, former Baker-administration official and candidate for governor Brian Shortsleeve preempted the listening to by calling the entire plan a waste of time.
“You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out why electricity prices in Massachusetts are so high — it’s Maura Healey’s mandates and policies. Now, Beacon Hill wants to hide behind another special commission instead of admitting the obvious failures of the Healey administration,” he mentioned.
Mike Kennealy, one other former Baker Administration official in search of the governor’s workplace, had a lot the identical to supply. A examine, he mentioned, isn’t going to assist individuals warmth their properties.
“We don’t need another study to tell us that when Maura Healey killed two new gas pipelines and pushed expensive green gimmicks, our energy bills skyrocketed. When I’m Governor, I won’t hide behind studies — I’ll take action. I will repeal the Net Zero by 2050 mandate that empowers bureaucrats to prioritize ideology over affordability, increase supply by bringing natural gas back to Massachusetts and invest in next-generation nuclear energy,” he mentioned.
Gov. Maura Healey, whose administration doesn’t sometimes touch upon pending laws, advised the Herald that the governor could be very serious about inspecting methods to make the state extra reasonably priced for residents and that lawmakers might assist the state of affairs by passing laws she’s filed to make power extra reasonably priced.
“Governor Healey knows that energy prices are way too high. That’s why we need to pass her energy affordability legislation, which will save residents and businesses more than $13 billion on their energy bills,” Healey’s spokesperson mentioned.
Eversource predicts that, even with the elevated charges for fuel going into impact in November, “that total customer bills will be slightly less or similar to last winter’s if the weather and usage return to 10-year historic averages.”
“While we all hope for a milder season, the weather is not something any of us can control or predict,” Eversource’s Kelley mentioned.
