Ten years ago the Republican-led House and Senate deregulated the electric industry in Pennsylvania.
They promised us lower rates--up to 50% lower--as dozens of electricity providers would compete for our business.Instead, Harrisburg gave the electric companies $11 billion dollars of our money and a promise to allow them to raise their rates without regulation in ten years.
Now, 10 years later, Pennsylvania consumers are about to get one big sucker-punch when the rate cap comes off.
By the electric companies' own projections, rates will rise from 20% to at 63%. However, consumer advocates think the reality will be closer to a 100% increase in our electric bills--and possibly more as fuel costs continue to soar.
State Senator Lisa Boscola and other Senate Democrats are introducing legislation that would hold off the rate increases by phasing out the cap over a period of five years. It would also require that electric generators seek practical ways to lower their costs.
Pennsylvania already has some of the highest electricity costs in the nation! Raising the rates even higher will break the backs of working families already struggling to make ends meet. It will also force small businesses to close and cause other businesses to locate in states with lower utility costs.
Most Senators have not signed on to this family-friendly legislation. We need to stand together to fight the corporate special interests in Harrisburg if we are going to keep our electric bills from doubling in the next few years.
Click on the link below to join us by signing this petition to our state senators. Tell them to stand up for working families and not the big electric companies.
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