Utility Monopolies Are Driving Up Your Electric Bill

Utility Monopolies Are Driving Up Your Electric Bill

Across the country, families have watched their power bills climb higher and higher — and it’s not because electricity costs more to generate than it used to. It’s because monopoly utilities have added layer after layer of charges and guaranteed profits, while state regulators look the other way.

This opinion piece in RealClearEnergy highlights the problem clearly:

“Electric utility monopolies are increasingly passing the costs of their infrastructure projects and profit guarantees directly onto consumers, resulting in steadily rising bills for households and small businesses.”

That means families are paying more every month while utility executives and Wall Street investors celebrate record earnings. Broad + Liberty recently pointed out that in Pennsylvania, rates have risen nearly double the pace of inflation while profits soared. In Illinois, Commonwealth Edison locked in hundreds of millions in rate hikes. And in Maryland, BG&E’s delivery charges have nearly doubled since 2010. Different states, same story.

This system is protecting monopolies, not customers.

Common sense says it’s time for change. State legislators and regulators must put the public first, demand transparency, and stop approving rate hikes that pad profits instead of protecting families.

Read the piece here

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