Last week, Senator Eric P. Lesser signed onto a letter alongside a bipartisan group of 106 members of the Massachusetts State Legislature, expressing concern about the energy rate increases expected to impact residents this winter to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU). The letter, sent to the DPU Chair Matthew Nelson, written by Senator Michael Moore and Representative Orlando Ramos, urges DPU to shield these rate increases from the residents of the Commonwealth.
“As the basis for increasing rates, these utilities have cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, inflation, and other factors; however, our constituents already feel the impacts of these macro-economic factors,” stated the bipartisan letter. “They encounter them when they buy groceries, fill up their car, or pay medical expenses.”
“It is also important to highlight the fact that this rate is being proposed on top of significant energy cost increases already imposed on Massachusetts residents within the last year,” the letter continues.
The letter also expressed that protecting the 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 just do that and protect Massachusetts residents from these drastic rate increases this winter season,” stated the letter.
The full letter can be found here.
Original source can be found here.
