PROVIDENCE – The R.I. House of Representatives last week approved legislation that would allow entire municipalities – including its residents and businesses – to negotiate electrical contracts with utilities.
Rep. Deborah L. Ruggiero, D-Jamestown, sponsored the bill, and said it would give cities and towns leverage to lock into cheaper electrical prices with such utilities as National Grid PLC because the amount of power purchased would be so large.
“It saves residents and businesses on their electricity costs because municipally aggregated communities often beat the local utility’s price per kilowatt hour and save on their bills,” she said in a statement.
Cities and towns would be required to hold a public hearing before entering such a plan, and individual customers would be given the option to opt out every two years without penalty.
“This is reviewed by the town council, public stakeholders and the Public Utilities Commission to ensure the ratepayers are getting a good deal,” Ruggiero added.
Sen. Erin Lynch Prata, D-Warwick, is sponsoring a companion bill in the Senate.
Eli Sherman is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Sherman@PBN.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.
