HAWLEY –Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne/Pike/Susquehanna/Wayne/Wyoming) and Rep. Jeff Olsommer (R-Wayne/Pike) sent a letter this week to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) questioning Pike County Light and Power’s general rate increase requests for its natural gas and electricity customers.
“We want to make certain the commissioners are fully aware of the customer opposition to these hikes, and the negative implications they also hold for schools, local governments, community organizations and commercial enterprises in the service territory,” the legislators said.
“What is difficult for customers to understand is why such a substantial increase is believed to be necessary and justified in an era when natural gas production has made our Commonwealth a leader among states. Families are struggling with day-to-day expenses, and some are on fixed incomes. Rate increases like these could wreak havoc on the family budget.
“As we have seen, taxpayers are increasingly demanding that governments at every level explore ways to cut costs and achieve greater cost efficiency. It is reasonable to expect they seek to have public utilities subject to the same test.”
Two in-person hearings on the proposed rate changes will be held on Tuesday, March 18, at the Milford Township Building in Milford. The first hearing will begin at 1 p.m., and a second hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Two telephonic hearings will be conducted on Wednesday, March 19, also at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. More information about the hearings, including how to pre-register, can be found in the PUC’s press release: https://www.puc.pa.gov/press-release/2025/public-input-hearings-scheduled-for-proposed-rate-changes-by-pike-county-light-power-company-02272025.
If approved, the utility would be able to collect $905,900 (Gas) and $1.87 million (Electric) in additional revenue per year from consumers. The requests are on the PUC’s website as Docket No.: R-2024-3052357 (natural gas) and Docket No.: R-2024-3052359 (electricity).
Read the joint letter from Sen. Baker and Rep. Olsommer here.