Voters Back Ban on Utility Junk Fees
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Jennifer Hadayia: Jen serves as Executive Director at Air Alliance Houston, which works at the intersection of public health, air pollution, and environmental justice. Jen is a powerful advocate for Houston, leading efforts to hold oil, gas, and petrochemical facilities accountable and ensure communities have equal footing when negotiating community benefits for climate infrastructure projects receiving federal funding.
Voters Back Ban on Utility Junk Fees and Political Spending on Ratepayers’ Dime
Despite consuming less energy per household in recent decades, Americans are facing soaring utility bills. Is it all down to aging infrastructure and extreme weather, or are sneaky junk fees and industry lobbying adding insult to injury? In a brief inspired by a tweet we saw from David Pomerantz at the Energy and Policy Institute, the Data for Progress climate team examined voter attitudes on the subject, revealing a mix of trust and skepticism toward utility companies.
Although most voters approve of their provider's handling of energy reliability and access for customers, some doubts linger about affordability, while awareness of their utility company’s actions on other issues, like clean energy investment and political lobbying, is lower. Late fees and reconnection fees charged by utility providers hit low-income households hardest, but there's momentum to change that. Voters across the spectrum back banning punitive fees, with 61% in support when we use a standard framing, and support rising to 75% when we call these poor taxes “junk fees” – and rightfully so!
We also find voters want to stop utility lobbying on their dime, with at least 69% support for these measures across party lines. Americans are ready to hold utility companies accountable for both predatory fees and profit-motivated lobbying coming at ratepayer expense.