A retired teacher, a single mother, a FedEx worker who also drives for DoorDash, a 19-year-old seeking her own apartment: All showed up Tuesday night to tell their local utility they simply can’t afford a rate increase.
“Regular working people should not foot the bill for [the] data center boom while the big tech companies reap the benefits and rewards,” said Barry McMickle of Allentown, summarizing one of the most consistently voiced concerns about a 7% residential rate increase proposed by PPL Electric Utilities.
“Denying this rate increase sends the clear message: utilities must balance financial health with fairness, affordability and environmental sustainability,” McMickle said, urging the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to reject the increase.
Tuesday’s hearing in Catasauqua was one of four public input hearings — and the only one in the Lehigh Valley — the PUC scheduled as it investigates the requested rate hike. Those who couldn’t attend in-person can offer testimony via telephone on Dec. 15. (See instructions at the end of this article, and register by Thursday.)
Proposed increases for nonresidential customers would be smaller, with commercial rates rising about 3.1% and industrial rates rising about 2.6%. Small business advocates at the hearing said those rates also are too high.
Speaker after speaker spoke of feeling stuck in a monopolistic market in which they can’t choose their electric company.
“We are married to you, not by choice,” said Kyle Gardner of Emmaus. “I wish I could divorce from PPL.”
Gardner was one of many who spoke of the escalating impact of rising bills, saying his family’s latest weekend grocery trip cost $800.
“Yet all I hear on TV from our administration is: prices are down, things are cheaper,” Gardner said.
Rising electric costs are an unavoidable reality, residents said.
“If I want to survive in the winter, I need electric,” said Scott Ettinger, a Lower Macungie Township resident who relies on a heat pump.
Melissa Moyer, a single mother who lives in Catasauqua, said her inefficient, electric baseboard heaters are adding to her struggles to stay afloat, adding, “I can’t afford a new system.”
Benjamin Robilotto, a Lower Macungie Township resident who works for both FedEx and DoorDash, said those working to make ends meet don’t believe corporate promises that data center development will benefit all.
“I work my butt off, you know, and it just doesn’t seem fair,” Robilotto said, “especially because these data centers, they don’t really provide that many jobs.”
State Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-133rd, said it’s ironic that ratepayers will be paying the bills of companies who are trying to make jobs obsolete through artificial intelligence.
“There’s an affordability crisis right now, and a rate increase will only add to it,” McNeill said. “So many people are struggling and suffering, and this will make even more suffering.”
Northampton County Executive Lamont G. McClure noted that the county saw its operational costs rise 16% this summer and that municipalities around the region could find themselves forced to pass on costs to taxpayers, who would then be paying twice for utility increases.
McClure also emphasized the impact on seniors, saying, “Older Pennsylvanians should be able to live with dignity in their homes as long as they possibly can.”
Allison Jones, a 19-year-old from Allentown, was among the speakers who said rising prices are making it nearly impossible for young people to establish their own lives. Moving out and paying $1,000 a month for an apartment in Center City isn’t feasible on a minimum-wage salary, she said.
“You’re going to push the young people in this area out of this area,” Jones said, “and the young people in this area are the future of this area.”
Lehigh and Northampton are among the 29 counties PPL serves. Raising rates on its 1.5 million customers is estimated to increase total company revenue by 8.6%.
PPL’s representative, attorney Devin Ryan, offered a brief statement at the start of the hearing, saying the utility has avoided filing for a base rate increase for 10 years.
“However, PPL actually must increase its distribution rates to have an opportunity to continue providing safe and reliable electric service and earn a just and reasonable return of and on its investments,” Ryan said.
If the parties do not reach a settlement, hearings will continue in February. PUC investigators would then have until April to consider legal briefs and issue a recommendation to the commission.
PennFuture, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council are among the environmental groups and consumer advocates who intervened in PPL’s case to the PUC.
“PennFuture is stepping in to protect PPL customers from the severe hardship that could result from this unjust and unreasonable rate increase,” PennFuture Vice President of Legal & Policy Abby Jones wrote in an email soliciting donations to the organization’s legal fund.
“We will be pushing for PPL to maximize cost-effective, clean energy in order to protect the interests of our members who live in the PPL territory. Our focus is to advocate for a number of ways to reduce the financial burden on customers, including grid-edge technologies (like smart meters and electric vehicle infrastructure), innovative rate designs, and fair rules regarding future data centers,” Jones wrote.
How to participate in future hearings
Telephone hearings will be held at 1 and 6 p.m. Dec. 15.
To ensure you are called to testify, register with legal assistant Pamela McNeal by 4 p.m. Dec. 11 by calling 215-560-4228 or emailing pmcneal@pa.gov. A copy of any documents or exhibits you’d like to present also must be emailed to that address.
On Dec. 15, dial the toll-free conference number, 866-421-8851; enter PIN number, 66640466; give your name when prompted and press #.