Washington, D.C. — Following the launch of the Congressional Lowering Utility Bills Caucus, spearheaded by Representative Josh Riley (NY-19) and including Reps. Laura Gillen (D-NY), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Eugene Vindman (D-VA), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chris Pappas (D-NH), and Chris Deluzio (D-PA), the American Economic Liberties Project released the following statement.

“For too long, investor-owned monopoly utilities have gamed, captured, and made a mockery of the century-old regulatory system that is supposed to keep them in check,” said Morgan Harper, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project. “The time is now for bold action at all levels of government to rein these companies in and lower costs for consumers. We’re thrilled to partner with Rep. Riley and a coalition of members as they launch this Caucus to organize federal lawmakers to embrace innovative strategies to lower energy costs. From structural changes, like legislation to address return on equity reform to directly intervening in state-level rate cases, there are a number of tools available to members of Congress looking to end this monopoly abuse for good and save their constituents money. We look forward to seeing what this Caucus accomplishes in the months to come.”

From 2020 to late 2024, investor-owned utilities, which deliver power to 70 percent of Americans, increased residential electricity rates by 49 percent above inflation. A quarter of U.S. households have been unable to pay their utility bill at least once in the last twelve months. This is in part because regulators are granting investor-owned utilities substantially higher rates of return than they legally should be, as an Economic Liberties analysis showed in January.

While federal and state lawmakers should consider legislation to tackle this structural driver of utility costs, they can also provide immediate relief to their constituents by intervening in rate cases. As a brief released by Economic Liberties last month details, elected officials can use their resources to follow utility paper trails, submit testimony, and question the utility and witnesses directly—all while bringing greater public scrutiny to the case, as New York Rep. Josh Riley did this summer. The brief provides information on how to keep track of rate cases and state processes for applying to become an intervenor.

Read Senior Fellow for Utilities Mark Ellis’ opening remarks at a press conference announcing the caucus here.

Read the guide, “Elected Officials Can Lower Costs by Getting Involved in Utility Rate Cases,” here.

Read Economic Liberties’ January 2025 paper, “Rate of Return Equals Cost of Capital,” here.

Learn more about Economic Liberties here.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; international trade arrangements that promote balanced trade and benefit workers, farmers and small businesses; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.