The "Requiring Consideration of the Public Interest in PUC Proceedings" bill would help ensure utility decisions work for consumers, not just utility companies.
Pennsylvania families are paying more and more for their electricity and utilities — and gaps in Pennsylvania laws are partially why utilities are gouging us.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is responsible for overseeing utility companies and approving major decisions involving rates, infrastructure investments, and utility services. These decisions directly affect household utility bills and can have long-term impacts on communities across Pennsylvania.
Right now, vague rules allow the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to favor corporations over people. It’s one reason monopoly utility companies have been able to raise rates again and again while families struggle to keep up.
That needs to change.
This Pennsylvania State House Bill Would Help Lower Electricity Costs
The “Requiring Consideration of the Public Interest in PUC Proceedings” bill (HB 2184) would fix the current law by setting commonsense rules the PUC must follow before making decisions.
The “Putting Public Interest back in the PUC” bill (HB 2184) would help stop automatic approvals of utility rate hikes by requiring the Pennsylvania Utility Commission to:
- Look at whether folks are able to afford their utility bills in their first place
- Consider if utilities have a plan to protect our air, water, and land from pollution
- Make sure utilities are doing everything they can to save energy and reduce waste before looking to expand
Decisions on what utilities can charge should work for the public — not just utility companies.
How You Can Help Stop Rate Hike Proposals from Getting Automatically Approved
Contact your state lawmakers and urge them to support HB 2184, the "Requiring Consideration of the Public Interest in PUC Proceedings" bill. Together, let's fix PA’s law and help stop price gouging by utilities.