FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2022
CONTACT:
Ben Kaplan, Communications Director
Office of Senator Susan L. Moran
Moran Urges DPU Action on Winter Energy Rate Increases
(BOSTON – 10/18/2022) – Last week, a bipartisan group of 31 Massachusetts State Senators and 76 State Representatives sent a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) expressing concern about the energy rate increases slated to impact residents this winter. The letter to DPU Chair Matthew Nelson, written by Senator Michael Moore and Representative Orlando Ramos, urges DPU to protect residents of the Commonwealth from these rate increases.
“Families across the Commonwealth are struggling with the rising cost of goods and services, Senator Susan Moran (D-Falmouth) said. “It is imperative that the Department of Public Utilities review these proposed rates to ensure that they are equitable and that the energy burden is not placed on the backs of homeowners and renters.”
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources predicts that the coming winter will be colder than last year’s, while the cost of heating may increase by up to 54.6% for electric customers and 28.6% for natural gas. Utility providers largely blame global factors such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, supply chain disruptions, and inflation. Legislators believe the DPU can do more to tamp down these rate increases and their effects on consumers.
In their letter to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, signatories state, “…proposed rate increases of this magnitude – during the winter season – would disproportionally impact the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable. Moreover, protecting our residents from the cold is not just an affordability and equity concern – it is also a public safety issue. As the oversight agency tasked with prioritizing safety, affordability, and equity with regard to energy rates, we ask that DPU do just that and protect Massachusetts residents from these drastic rate increases this winter season.”
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