Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Budget Hearing Wrap

PUC Chairwoman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille, Vice Chairman Stephen DeFrank, and Commissioners John Coleman, Ralph Yanora, and Kathryn Zerfuss, testified before the House Appropriations Committee. House Republicans focused their questions on improvements to railway safety, increasing energy rates, energy transport reliability, and the adverse impacts of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).  

Key Takeaways

• The PUC should be more engaged in coordinating railway safety with the federal, state, and local governments. 
• With proposals like RGGI and other alternative energy initiatives accelerating the closing of fossil fuel generators in the Commonwealth – we are looking to the PUC on how to address these issues and energy demand in the future.  
• House Republicans believe the planned reductions in the Corporate Net Income Tax rate should assist with controlling energy rates.  The PUC stated that reduced taxes paid by the utility companies will come out in the rate cases and trickle down to savings for the ratepayers.  


Notable Q&A