“As Governor, I’m Going To Freeze The Rates, No Matter What Lobbyists Or Greedy Monopolies Get In My Way
Barnes Slams Opposition From Greedy Utility Monopolies
“Funny That the Experts Funded By The Utility Monopolies Never Call It Bad Policy When Your Rates Go Up—Only When Someone Tries to Stop It”
On Monday, Mandela Barnes rolled out his plan to Freeze the Rates and take on Wisconsin’s greedy utility monopolies that are gouging families across the state, including:
- Only appointing Public Service Commissioners who pledge to freeze the rates and to deny any price hikes from the utilities during this affordability crisis
- Closing the revolving door that lets PSC commissioners use their roles as a stepping stone to becoming wealthy utility executives running the very companies they used to be regulating
- Passing legislation that bans utility companies from using ratepayer money on lobbying and political expenses, and capping the pay of wealthy executives who make tens of millions of dollars
Today, Mandela Barnes doubled down: “Funny that the experts funded by the utility monopolies never call it ‘bad policy’ when your rates go up. Only when someone tries to stop it. As Governor, I’m going to freeze the rates, no matter what lobbyists or greedy monopolies get in my way. Wisconsin has been failed for far too long.”
Judge us by our enemies. Utility-backed officials were quick to criticize this plan, and that’s exactly how you know it’s working.
- Rodney Stevenson—who said freezing utility rates “could not be put into practice”—runs Wisconsin Public Utilities Institute, which is heavily funded by Wisconsin’s utility monopolies including We Energies and Alliant Energy who continue to gouge Wisconsin families and spike rates by over $300 a month
- Manny Teodoro—who said lowering energy costs was “a terrible idea”—receives thousands of dollars in grants from the American Water Works Association, a lobbying group for utility monopolies
Freezing utility rates is legal, sound, and necessary. Wisconsin’s utility monopolies have nation-leading profits. Companies like WE Energies recorded over a billion dollars in income last year and paid their executives over $32 million. There is plenty of room for PSC commissioners to legally freeze rates during this affordability crisis while still allowing utility companies to continue to cover costs and make necessary investments to keep our energy grid strong.
