Pro-Consumer Coalition starts Effort to Stop Unfair Utility Rates

[texpatriot2004]

Pro-Consumer Coalition Kicks Off Effort to Stop Unfair ComEd Rate Increases; Group Seeks to Counter Misinformation Campaign with Web Site, Toll-Free Number, Ongoing Grassroots Blitz

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=56317

CHICAGO, Nov. 7 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Escalating the political clash over a controversial bid to increase local electric bills by 37 percent, a diverse coalition of community leaders and groups representing consumer, labor, and senior citizen organizations on Monday unleashed the first wave of a grassroots blitz to generate opposition to the threatened ComEd rate hike.

The newly formed coalition, StopComEdRateHike.org, unveiled a Web site by the same name and a toll-phone number where consumers can voice their dissent directly to the offices of their local legislators and members of the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), which regulates utilities.

The formation of the new campaign, announced Monday at a series of news conferences statewide that included appearances by local lawmakers, comes days after ComEd's political clout engineered the defeat of Martin Cohen, a prominent and widely respected consumer advocate who had been nominated to preside over the ICC.

<snip>

[texpatriot2004]

1. I guess this is only in Illinois. Other states should follow too. nt

[texpatriot2004]

2. Anyone have a problem with high utility prices? nm

[Selatius]

3. If high utility prices are the result of sheer profit mark-up, then...

I have a problem with the rate hike. I'd instead advocate that the private power utility is put under worker control. Turn it into a power co-op where the customers are the owners.