September 14, 2017
VA Legislature Must Reverse Law That Harms their Citizens
WASHINGTON – Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization division of Consumer Reports, responded to the Supreme Court of Virginia’s decision today that fails to strike down SB 1349 – the law passed in 2015 freezing utility rate reviews for five years and halting millions of dollars in refunds owed to Virginia utility customers. A recent report by the VA State Corporation Commission found that Dominion owes its customers at least $133 million since the freeze was enacted – a figure that will continue to grow until the law is reversed.
Shannon Baker-Branstetter, policy counsel for Consumers Union, said, “This ruling means that Dominion Energy Virginia will continue to pocket hundreds of millions of dollars owed to Virginia families who were overcharged for several years. The decision also means the Virginia State Corporation Commission, charged with protecting the consumer interest, will continue to be constrained in their ability to regulate the state’s largest utility monopoly. The Virginia legislature must act to repeal SB 1349 and protect Virginia’s residents from unfair practices by large monopolies.”
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Media Contact: Jason Kuruvilla, jason.kuruvilla@con