October 6, 2020

A week before the public hearing on October 6th, advocates across our broad coalition organized community members across Washington to write to the Utilities and Transportation Commission to voice their concerns and demand that all families should stay connected to their utilities during the pandemic. Together, we amassed a total of 1,700 written testimonies, which further amplified the community's statements to the commissioners during the public meeting. Below are a few quotes from the hearing:

"Washington State investor owned utilities (IOUs) have hundreds of millions of dollars that they could put towards the costs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, they are choosing to prioritize executive compensation while simultaneously putting all of the COVID costs on ratepayers and threatening to disconnect customers for utility bills.This is unacceptable. We need the UTC to step in and use their power to require IOUs to pay their fair share. Washington state employees are taking a 20% pay cut, why aren't IOU executives and shareholders taking a 20% pay cut too?" - Katrina Peterson, Puget Sound Sage

"We are existing in what we are all referring to as unprecedented times. A history of injustice does not justify its continuation. The very notion of progress demands that we choose to change the status quo when we are called upon to do so. We can not suffer ourselves to falsely equate what has been done with what should be done. Those who are already well off should not be profiting splendidly on the backs of captive ratepayers who need a basic service at the time of a devastating global pandemic." - Julian Aris, Sierra Club

"Under the UTC's enabling statutes you have broad authority to regulate these companies. You are able to order utilities to do things, stop doing things, invest in things, and generally provide their services in a way that satisfies the public interest. It is life and death to be able to stay safely in our homes and in order to do that, customers must have access to their utility services, regardless of their ability to pay." - Lisa Gaskin, Office of the Attorney General

Click here to watch the full recording of the hearing (the advocates' testimony start around 2:30:00).