2018 -- H 8003

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LC005269

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING DISAPPOINTMENT IN NATIONAL GRID FOR ITS INCREASING RATES

AND SERVICE CONCERNS AND RECOMMENDING THAT THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR

ENERGY DISTRIBUTION BE TRANSFERRED TO NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES

     Introduced By: Representatives Regunberg, Carson, Donovan, Casimiro, and Vella-
Wilkinson

     Date Introduced: March 28, 2018

     Referred To: House Corporations

     WHEREAS, National Grid has filed rate increases for supplying energy to Rhode

Islanders year after year, independent of the required costs of the energy generation; and

     WHEREAS, Despite these increased costs, National Grid's service has continued to cause

concerns in numerous communities with power outages that are too frequent and too sustained;

and

     WHEREAS, Despite repeated efforts from this body and the Public Utilities

Commission, National Grid continues to disconnect service to low-income Rhode Islanders from

utilities services that are necessary for the fulfillment of a dignified life, solely based on an

inability to pay these escalating rates; and

     WHEREAS, Evidence shows that customers of publicly-owned utilities pay thirteen

percent (13%) less on average than customers of shareholder-owned utilities and have a far

greater say in how said utilities are operated; and

     WHEREAS, There is evidence that publicly-owned utilities are more accountable to their

customers and make it easier to integrate more clean, renewable energy into a utility's portfolio;

and

     WHEREAS, That these high costs and low benefits are fundamentally connected to the

privately-owned corporate monopoly utility model that allows for-profit corporations to extract

profit from services that no individual can do without; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby recognizes local efforts, such as the Pascoag Utility District, to

provide publicly-owned energy generation and/or distribution outside of this for-profit model, and

encourages other local governments to establish similar nonprofit entities in ways that do not

conflict with the established oversight authority of the Public Utilities Commission; and be it

further

     RESOLVED, That this House hereby finds that the state government of Rhode Island

should also immediately begin the process of moving the distribution of energy away from a

privately-owned for-profit model to a publicly-owned nonprofit model so as to increase

accountability and transparency between our communities and our utilities; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Gina M. Raimondo, Governor of

the State of Rhode Island, and Margaret Curran, Chairperson of the Rhode Island Public Utilities

Commission.

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LC005269

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