HUNTERDON COUNTY, NJ – Hunterdon County’s Freeholder Board recently approved a resolution calling on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to reject Jersey Central Power and Light’s (JCP&L) petition for an $185 million rate increase, and to require the utility to reimburse residential customers for cost of food and prescription medicine spoiled or compromised as a result of a sustained electric service outage.
“The rate increase proposed by JCP&L is projected to cost ratepayers $185.3 million and ranges to as much as an 8.9% increase on monthly bills, according to the filing. Given the service problems Hunterdon County residents and businesses have suffered, the rate increase should be rejected,” Freeholder Board Director Shaun Van Doren said.
The resolution says, “Hunterdon County residents served by JCP&L have had a long history of power failures, slow response for restoration by the utility, and lack of proper communication about outages.”
“Our residents have put up with power outages too often, for far too long, and the loss of food and medicine without reimbursement is unjustified, particularly since Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) is reimbursing their customers. It is time for those who have authority in Trenton to take action,” Freeholder John Lanza said.
“The resolution will be submitted to the BPU as official comment from the Freeholder Board.
Lanza recommended that, “In addition, the document also should be transmitted to the New Jersey Senate Law and Public Safety Committee for its September 21st hearing on the response of utility companies throughout the State to power outages resulting from the recent Tropical Storm. The Committee is accepting written testimony for the hearing,” Van Doren said.
“I also intend to write to the Committee recommending action on Senator Kip Bateman’s bill, S-2836, requiring electric public utility to reimburse residential customers for cost of food and prescription medicine spoiled or compromised as a result of a sustained electric service outage,” Lanza said.
“The public can still comment on the rate increase petition by sending comments to the BPU Board Secretary by September 30, 2020,” Van Doren said.
Comments can be forwarded to NJBPU Secretary Aida Camacho-Welch, at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, 44 South Clinton Avenue, 9th Floor, P.O. Box 350, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0350 or email comments to board.secretary@bpu.nj.gov.
