By Rep. Karen Alzate
All of us need energy. Electricity to keep the lights on and natural gas to heat our homes are necessities to live, not luxuries. Small businesses cannot operate and families cannot function and thrive without power. These statements are simply facts of our modern lives.
But what also is true of daily living is that costs continue to rise across the board. Not only are our energy bills rising each month, but food, clothes, childcare, medicine, everything is more expensive these days. Which would be okay if wages kept pace with inflation, but we all know that they haven’t and our paychecks are being stretched further and further every single week.
People and small businesses are at their breaking point, and unfortunately, RI Energy is making things worse.
Over the past few months, I have received numerous calls from both residents and small businesses that have had their power cut off by RI Energy. Now what makes these events so disturbing is that many of these shutoffs are occurring literally hours after a missed payment deadline. Not months, not weeks, not days, but hours after being considered late on payment.
And to add insult to injury, RI Energy is requiring massive payment deposits that are far, far more than a normal monthly bill to reinstate power. Many Rhode Island residents and small businesses can barely afford rent and other daily necessities and RI Energy expects them to forego every other aspect of their lives to restore power to their home or business.
This is simply not right.
Rising costs are crippling the working class of Rhode Island and RI Energy and its ever-increasing bill amounts are further hurting the hardworking residents and businesses of our great state.
In order to rectify this terribly unfair injustice, I will be looking into legislative solutions once the General Assembly reconvenes in January. There is simply too much evidence that the operations and policies of RI Energy are out of control, and something must be done to help the Rhode Islanders who are being hurt by this corporation’s greed.
Rep. Karen Alzate, a Democrat, represents District 60 in Pawtucket and Central Falls.
