#8: UTILITY RATES OUT OF CONTROL
October 7th, 2009

Perry FailureEvery time we turn on the lights, Texans pay the price of one party Republican rule. Texas homeowners struggle to pay the highest utility rates in the nation due to Rick Perry and his fellow Texas Republicans’ failed experiment with utility deregulation.

Since utility deregulation was enacted in 1999, rates have skyrocketed 64%. Some Texans on fixed incomes are forced to choose between paying their electric bill and buying groceries. Meanwhile, money in the System Benefit Fund – which was created to help low-income families pay their utility bills – continues to be diverted away from its intended purpose. Since 2002, more than half of all the money collected for the System Benefit Fund has been spent on things other than reducing utility rates. (Source: Dallas Morning News)

Rick Perry and his hand-picked appointees to the Public Utility Commission have continually failed to protect Texas consumers. As a result, Texas taxpayers are left with less money in their pockets while electric providers continue to profit:

  • Texans’ utility rates skyrocketed 64% between 1999 and 2007, and families in Houston and Dallas pay the highest utility rates in the entire nation. (Source: Associated Press, Dallas Morning News)
  • Utility deregulation has given rise to prepaid electric providers. These providers are sometimes run by convicted criminals who market to “poor, sick, and disabled” Texans and charge consumers rates up to 50% higher than average. (Source: Dallas Morning News)
  • In the last month, Rick Perry’s hand-picked commissioners at the PUC sided with major utility companies in rejecting federal stimulus dollars because they refused to buy American-made products – a decision that will likely result in increased utility bills for Texans. (Source: Dallas Morning News)

Republicans tried to sell Texans on deregulation by promising competition would lower rates. After a decade of highway robbery, it’s time for Rick Perry and his cronies drop the act and give Texans the rate relief we desperately need. Rick Perry’s failure to address out of control utility rates is one of the many reasons why he has failed Texas.

Next – 7: Perry Taking a Toll on Texans

Previous – #9: Homeowners Insurance Rates Skyrocket During Perry’s Tenure

To read more about how Rick Perry has failed Texas, visit the TDP’s Top Ten Rick Perry Failures page by clicking here.