Persons throughout the United States who receive emerging facilities bills not only pay gas and electricity costs: they can also pay the price of pressure on companies and advertising.
Electricity and gas facilities routinely charge for price perpetrators for the costs related to political advocacy, advertisements for the manufacture of their brand, and even the luxurious privileges of executives and employees, according to a hadith. a report By the Institute of the Collection and Policy Policy, or the expanded immunization program. These expenses add up to the millions of dollars that customers pay towards the efforts of the facilities to raise prices Stalling the climate provides. While the imposition of clients is banned to pressure federal laws and state laws, consumer advocates say that current policies are not anywhere nearly enough to hold the facilities accountable.
In some states, this change began. In 2023, Coloradoand Connecticut, and Maine The first comprehensive laws to prevent facilities were approved from imposing customer fees for pressure and advertising and other political influence activities. Customers in those states have already provided hundreds of thousands of dollars after the organizers began implementing laws last year.
Consumer advocates say that with the clarity of the effects of these policies – and with the continued bills of laws – it will be more laws on the road. Last year, eight states The bills were entered to curb the benefit cost of the benefit. Last month, Five other states She followed her example, according to the enlarged immunization program.
“The momentum continues behind the legislation of benefit in growth,” said Carly Winman, a researcher on the enlarged fortification program and co -author of the latest group. “When we put the numbers on the savings that were created by these bills, we will hear more and more price motives ask,” How can I accomplish this in my state? “
The laws in Colorado, Conoitetete, Maine and clarify a set of banned political activities were sought to impose fees on price perpetrators compared to the current federal and state rules. The costs that the facilities prohibit include their transfer to customers in these states membership are memberships to Commercial associations that participate in pressureDonations for political advocacy groups and public relations campaigns. The laws of the three states have also introduced limits or a ban on billing agents to obtain fees for consultants or lawyers who were appointed to discuss to increase prices, and requires facilities to submit detailed annual reports on political spending to ensure that shareholders – instead of consumers – are applying for the bill.
It is still too early to assess the full impact of these laws because they apply mainly through Average casesThe procedures in which the facilities seek to obtain approval from the organizers to control their prices. As part of this process, the facilities raise their investments and expenses, and state officials decide the costs that can be transferred reasonably to the tool customers. Not a few prices have been involved since the laws entered, and Maine has just agreed to the rules this week on how to implement its law. But based on the recent procedures in Colorado and Contecticut, “We see very positive signs” in terms of the benefit of savings that savings customers can expect from these laws, said Itay Fardi, the co -author of the expanded fortification report.
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In Colorado, the government organizers rejected More than 775,000 dollars In the pressure fees, the commercial association’s dues, and the investor relations required by Xcel Energy in the case of the gas rate in the past year, noting that these expenses are prohibited under the benefit accounting law in the state. Total savings may end up: XCEL Energy Commissioners also requested to re -submit disclosures on pressure and remove all costs of investor relations from their prices.
In Connecticut, state officials have delivered $ 555,000 of industry dues, travel and meals, and the costs of investor relations that Avangrid tried to stick to during A. Gas average status Last year, according to the EPI review to see the price status files. Organizers also cited the law accountable for the new utility of their thinking.
Early implementation in these states is proven by the effectiveness of these handrails. It is also a worrying sign that the facilities are trying again and again to restore pressure and political costs even in the states where it is illegal. “When we see these savings, we also see the degree in which expenditures are not associated with providing utility service and may not be useful for prices in prices.”
In every state in the United States, the organizers who hear prices – known as the name Public service commissions or public utilities commissions It is supposed to maintain inappropriate fees from prices. Without strict legislation, they are not always successful: the burden on commissioners and invitation groups for consumers to combs thousands of pages submitted by facilities for price proposals and dispute fees. But some benefit requests are very terrible so that public utilities commissions do not exceed, even in the absence of comprehensive laws to protect interesters.
In Virginia, government organizers reported and removed millions of dollars from pressure fees by Dominion Energy in price cases in 2021 and 2023. Incorrectly charged customers To press to enhance the use of natural gas. In a particularly blatant example, the Ohayu -based FIRSTERIGY Company agreed to recover tens of millions of dollars to clients numerous States After imposing the costs of pressure and expenses related to firstergergy The head of the head of the Ohio Larry’s house Between 2017 and 2020.
Harmony GERBER / Getty Images
Facilities also spend huge sums on the advertisement to enhance the image of its company. According to the EPI report, 15 of the largest electrical tools in the United States spent $ 1.1 billion on the announcement of the brand between 2014 and 2023. It is not clear whether any of these expenses have been transferred to customers, but some facilities made attempts to do so Last year, Chessapeake Utailays in Maryland requested the regulatory bodies to authorize the price perpetrators for its “natural gas” campaign, which used the puppies and other loved pictures to promote fossil fuel. Maryland state officials considered the request Not appropriate and not in the public interest.
The facilities tried to pass the costs of luxury companies’ privileges such as private aircraft. In the case of last year’s prices, Michigan Prosecutor Dana Nessel called for a request from DTE TTEITION DTE ENERGY, based in Detroit, to ship the price perpetrators on private plane flights.Frankly insult to customers“Organizers Michigan Later demand. In Indiana, Duke Indiana admitted that she was receiving consumers More than 5 million dollars Between 2021 and 2023 in the costs of private aircraft, according to the testimony he presented last year by the Consumer Consumer Consumer Alliance. Indiana delegates recently denied another request from Duke Energy Indiana to pass $ 1.9 million at customer aircraft expenses.
Displaced by the National Trade Associations in the results of the seasonal fortifications report and confirmed their commitment to reduce emissions and provide energy at reasonable prices. “The natural gas industry has long been adhered to in cooperation with policy makers and organizers to help achieve climate goals and ambitious energy in our nation,” said Karen Harbert, President and CEO of the American Gas Association, which represents the gas facilities.
A spokesman for the Eldison Institute, a commercial organization for investor -owned electrical facilities, said that there is no need for more interest -level motivational protection laws. “Electricity companies are already subject to federal laws and strict government laws that ensure that pressure activities are always funded by shareholders, not customers,” said Brian Rail. “In cases of unintended expenditures, there are already mechanisms for government commissions to ensure accounting changes, and if necessary, customer recovery operations granted.”
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Meanwhile, during prices, facilities and preachers often work with limited information because “auxiliary tools do not provide any information that is not legally required,” said Tinnin. “If we do not have transparency, we cannot know to what extent is the price motives stop.”
More and more legislators hold this issue. In January, legislators in Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon and Utah Bills To prevent facilities from recovering costs for pressure and other political activities. In California, the Tinnin Group cooperates with other invitation organizations to develop a language of a similar bill to be submitted later this year. Previous interest accounting bill It was presented last year In the state, it failed to leave the committee.
Consumer defenders say the laws can help address the increasing capacity of energy as families are struggling with installation prices. The debts of the draft house facilities increased 8.4 percent Since December 2023, according to one estimate, while Close power for non -payment It rose throughout the country. The threat of President Donald Trump to provide definitions on fossil fuels from Canada will be Raising energy prices more While other customs duties will be made All types of products are more expensive.
“Everything adds,” said Winman. “While we see people all over the country, they are struggling with the high cost of living and higher facilities bills, the effect of any savings on bills is great.”
