For Immediate Release                                                                          Contact:

                                                                                                                       Bob Backus, 603-668-7272

                                                                                                                       Patrick Arnold, 443-848-8358

 

 

Campaign for Ratepayers Rights Joining Energy Efficiency Discussion

 

CONCORD, June 14, 2007 – On Monday, June 18, one of New Hampshire’s oldest consumer advocacy groups is expected to intervene in proceedings at the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on behalf of the State’s electric utility consumers.

 

The Campaign for Ratepayers Rights (CRR) filed a petition for intervention on Monday, June 11, in a PUC docket concerning energy efficiency.

 

Last month, in response to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the PUC opened a docket to investigate rate mechanisms that will promote energy conservation and efficiency in New Hampshire. One possibility is revenue decoupling – a rate mechanism that would sever the connection between a utility’s sales and its revenue.

 

Manchester attorney Bob Backus, President of the CRR Board of Directors, hopes that the CRR’s intervention will help ensure that consumers’ concerns are heard during this debate. “The prospect of revenue decoupling is an important issue,” says Backus. “But it is essential that we consider all possible effects to consumers before making any major changes to the way rates are set. The more voices we have speaking on behalf of consumers, the better.” The Conservation Law Foundation has also filed a petition to intervene in the proceedings.

 

Over the next several weeks, CRR will be investigating the possible effects that revenue decoupling will have on utility consumers, according to Patrick Arnold, CRR Executive Director. “Of course promoting energy efficiency is a good thing,” says Arnold. “The CRR is getting involved to make sure that any new rate mechanism is designed right – so that consumers aren’t hurt by it financially.”

 

 

About CRR:

 

The Campaign for Ratepayers Rights is a New Hampshire non-profit organization that has been defending the rights of the state’s utility consumers since 1983. The CRR has intervened in numerous proceedings before the Public Utilities Commission, has lobbied legislation before the State Legislature, and has even argued before the New Hampshire Supreme Court. The CRR continues to advocate for fair, reliable and sustainable energy policies that serve the best interests of New Hampshire’s citizens.

 

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