JCP&L should get its act together before requesting a rate increase
TRENTON – In response to Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L’s) proposed 4.5 percent rate increase, Senator Shirley K. Turner (D-Mercer and Hunterdon) today released the following statement:
“Over the past two years, New Jersey has faced some tough storms, from Irene to Sandy, that have left electric customers across the state literally in the dark. But due to inadequate infrastructure that is antiquated and unreliable, JCP&L customers have borne the brunt of these outages with inappropriately slow response times leaving many ratepayers suffering more than ten days without power post-Sandy. This is unacceptable. JCP&L should be focused on improving service, not improving its bottom line.”
“Just a few years ago, JCP&L was required to justify excessive profits to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and address concerns that the company was overcharging customers. At that time, JCP&L should have preemptively invested in its electric systems, from power lines, poles and substations, and increased reliability of service to its customers rather than to pad corporate pockets. Now, JCP&L is adding insult to injury by asking to be rewarded for its own failures.”
“JCP&L’s customers should not be required to fork over an additional $53 per year to receive reliable electricity and responsive customer service. These are basic functions of the electric utility business that should have been in place all along. The BPU needs to protect New Jersey’s consumers and send a clear message to JCP&L that the company is responsible for its own failure to invest in New Jersey’s electric infrastructure. The BPU should deny this petition for a rate increase.”