Bill would ban Massachusetts consumers from enrolling in competitive electric supplier contracts

BOSTON (WWLP) – There was a hearing at the State House in front of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy on Monday.

At the hybrid hearing, Attorney General Andrea Campbell took to the microphone to testify in support of a bill to protect ratepayers. Campbell testified in front of the committee on An Act relative to electric ratepayer protections that are in both the House and the Senate.

What the bill would do is ban consumers from enrolling in competitive electric supplier contracts. As of now, Massachusetts is just one of 12 states that allow residents to buy electricity through competitive suppliers.

These suppliers often offer rates lower than traditional suppliers, like Eversource and National Grid, but they can also increase rates significantly while customers are still in contract with them.

“We don’t take this lightly, to testify for legislation, to ban an industry that is costing our residents money, it’s as simple as that. We’ve done several reports on this, and the most recent talks about a savings, of no savings of close to $525 million where folks thought they were going to save from this industry and frankly lost $525 million,” Attorney General Andrea Campbell said.

The legislation would allow the Attorney General to penalize suppliers. This legislation also does not apply to municipal aggregation programs through energy suppliers.

Now only Senate members were present at the hearing, the House members plan to hold another hearing later this week.

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