WASHINGTON, DC – The Energy Equality Coalition released the following statement today urging Members of Congress to preserve The Ratepayer Fairness Act as House and Senate passed energy bills head toward a Conference Committee.

“The House passed energy bill includes a ratepayer fairness provision that aims to protect working-class Americans from covering the costs of special energy technologies used only by the wealthy,” said spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg. “We believe authorities should consider the working poor before requiring them to subsidize technology they could never afford. That's why our coalition supports The Ratepayer Fairness Act and urges members of the Conference Committee to preserve it in the final bill.”

The Ratepayer Fairness Act: Authored by Congressman Mike Pompeo of Kansas and Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona this measure was included in H.R. 8, the larger House passed energy bill. The Ratepayer Fairness Act requires public utilities to examine whether the policies they enact benefit only a small number of wealthy electricity consumers, and then publicize their findings. The bill also compels utilities to study whether new policies provide an unfair competitive advantage or negatively impact resource utilization and grid security.

EEC Background: The Energy Equality Coalition is fighting to end unfair subsidies and ensure a level playing field for American energy consumers. The EEC works to educate the public about energy policies that disproportionately benefit the richest among us at the expense of working-class Americans. We believe there should be balance in energy policies, not special treatment for an elite few who can afford to take advantage of them. http://www.energyequalitycoalition.org/

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