Customers Speak out Against PGE Bill Increase
Posted on May 21, 2024 by Abbey Parnall
Tags, Energy, General Interest
Despite an 18% increase in January, skyrocketing bills, and heavy outcry from customers, Portland General Electric (PGE) is asking for another 7% rate increase. PGE households’ bills have already gone up by 30% since December 2022.
On Thursday, May 16, 2024, the Public Utility Commission held a public hearing on PGE’s general rate case. Community members, PGE customers, and CUB partners alike spoke out against this additional increase. They stated concerns about previous rate increases and the sustainability of these repeated increases for residential customers.
What is PGE asking for?
PGE has requested $202 million (7.2%) under the guise of needing more money for battery storage projects. Only about $17 million is for battery storage.
While battery storage is the talking point, the case is much more of a wish list by management:
- Higher profit margins
- Making it easier to raise prices every winter
- Shifting financial risk to customers
The system is not set up to protect customers. It is designed to facilitate utility rate cases. We must keep up the pressure and force regulators to hear from impacted Oregonians.
Read more: PGE’s Request to Raise Rates in 2025 Lives On
PGE Customers and Community Partners Speak Out
Throughout the public comment hearing, many Oregonians expressed concerns about rising utility bills. Many requested that the Public Utility Commission (PUC) deny PGE’s 7% rate increase request.
Branden Dross, City Administrator of the City of Lafayette, stated “It’s damaging the pocketbooks of the working class.”
A representative from The Willamette Valley Workers’ Benefit Council, along with 50 people pictured holding protest signs in the background, stated “We call upon the Oregon Public Utility Commission to act in the interest of the public by doing the following: One, deny PGE’s proposed rate increase. Two, end all shutoffs of residents at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Three, make utility providers finance conversion to renewable energy through their massive profits, not repeated rate increases. Four, make large industrial users like data farms pay for the cost of utility infrastructure and expansion in accord with the massive increase in energy consumption, the operations required and that these industrial users pay an equal rate to residential users.”
Nikita Daryanani, Climate and Energy Policy Manager at The Coalition of Communities of Color, commented “This request cannot come at a worst time. The cost of rent, food, transportation and other living expenses are skyrocketing while people are already struggling to make ends meet and pay their bills[...]The rate increases from last year hit folks so hard this winter, I’ve heard of folks paying 300-400 dollars on their PGE bills for apartments.”
Kendall, a PGE customer, stated “The last increase more than doubled my monthly bill.”
Karyna, a representative from The Willamette Valley Workers’ Benefit Council, stated “I am poor every single month. I am unable to have a job that pays me more money, but PGE is allowed to raise their rates every single year.”
Silvia Tanner, Senior Energy Policy and Legal Analyst with the Office of Sustainability, commented “We encourage you to reject this proposal because it is a risk shift to customers. This is not the time for proposals to raise customer rates and shift risks to customers. This is not the time to add new mechanisms to raise rates outside of the comprehensive process afforded in our rate case.”
CUB Will Continue to Fight PGE’s Request
The Public Utility Commission will decide on this rate case by December 19, 2024. Any increase in rates will take effect for PGE customers in January 2025.
CUB’s policy team will continue to advocate for Oregon households and fight unfair rate increases. To read more about the details of this rate case, visit this recent post on the CUB Blog.
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11/19/24 | 1 Comment | Customers Speak out Against PGE Bill Increase