Energy Prices Subject of Committee Hearing

The Pennsylvania House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee gathered a wide range of experts to talk about looming electric rate increases Tuesday. As rate caps come off, electricity rates in Pennsylvania are expected to jump as much as 60 percent. Members of the state legislature are worried their constituents will not be able to cover those new rates and are looking for a solution. Carnegie Mellon University professor Jay Apt says there is no silver bullet solution. Instead he says they need to go after several solutions including lowering the tax on power, encouraging private power generation and requiring the right kind of alternative energy production. A lawyer for the Electric Power Generation Association suggested that the focus should be on helping customers through the transition not on trying to re-regulate or punish power companies.