FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Bryan Barbin D- Cambria www.pahouse.com/barbin

House Consumer Affairs Committee reviews municipal aggregation bill

JOHNSTOWN, Aug. 31 – State Rep. Bryan Barbin, D-Cambria, hosted a public hearing today on legislation that would lower electric rate increases for customers.

House Bill 2619 would allow municipalities to supply electricity to residents and businesses at a reduced cost. It would allow municipalities to adopt an ordinance to apply for an electric generation supplier license with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. As suppliers, the municipalities would act as municipal aggregators, or buying groups, of electric generation supply service and provide purchasing power to residential and small business consumers in their municipal boundaries. 

"This legislation has the potential to save consumers a lot of money," Barbin said. "Particularly with the national recession, making ends meet is difficult for a lot of people. With rate caps being lifted at the end of the year, people are going to see a significant increase in their utility costs."

Barbin said that information about additional energy companies that would provide consumers with a break on their energy costs after rate caps are gone was available at his district office.

The bill would give residential or small business customers the right to opt out of the buying group to shop for other electricity suppliers on their own. Additionally, two or more municipalities would be permitted to act as joint aggregators to enhance and broaden the benefits of the program. 

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