State represenatatives join senators in protesting natural-gas rate hikes
Rate changes approved by the DPU that took effect on Nov. 1 drove up bills by 30 percent for January, compared with the same month a year ago, for typical homeowners in Eversource's former Columbia Gas territory, and 23 percent for those in the former NStar Gas towns. Eversource attributed the increases to growth in the Mass Save home efficiency program, the rising commodity costs for natural gas, and infrastructure upgrades. Those increases were exacerbated by a 19 percent increase in typical gas consumption last month, because of the colder weather.
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The 80 lawmakers who signed the letter are from both political parties, and from regions across the state. Representative Hannah Kane, a Republican from Shrewsbury, said her Eversource gas bill in January was over $950, 'ridiculous to say the least,' she wrote. Kane said she reached out to Eversource in January about the 'astronomoical rates' and that she's glad that the governor is now requesting rate relief from the DPU — something Kane hopes is 'swiftly accomplished and retroactive.'
Jon Chesto can be reached at
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