Texan’s better pay attention! Your electricity rates are about to go up again. 📈⚡️💸
PUCT Recommends a New Rate Increase for Texas Ratepayers🔌
In June, many of us showed up at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) hearing on Project 59523 to push back. We asked the Commission to reject or delay the proposal that would let Transmission and Distribution Utilities (TDUs) sign contracts for battery energy storage facilities and pass those costs, plus a return (guaranteed profit) straight onto our electric bills. We specifically asked for a pause until a real study could examine the need and the rate impacts, especially given how much the energy storage landscape has changed since the underlying law was passed in 2021.
On October 8, PUCT Staff filed its recommendation (Item 32) to move forward and adopt the new rule (16 TAC §25.58) anyway; despite more than 1,900 signatures in opposition and the concerns raised at the hearing.
This is not abstract. If the Commission adopts the staff recommendation, TDUs will have a clearer path to recover the costs of these battery contracts from ratepayers through existing rate mechanisms. That means higher electricity bills for residential customers across Texas.
Texas is one of the most energy-rich states in the country, yet we currently rank around 25th out of 50 in residential electricity rates. Our rates should be among the five lowest, not climbing higher because utilities and other companies can shift business costs onto the people who actually pay the bills. Adding more TDU-contracted battery storage costs on top of already rising rates is another example of corporations protecting their returns while We the People absorb the expense.
The final vote has not happened yet! There is still time to make your voice heard before the Commission considers this staff recommendation at an open meeting.
Submit your public comment opposing this recommendation:
1. Go to the PUCT Interchange site: interchange.puc.texas.gov
2. Search for Control Number 59523
3. File a comment (or letter) stating that you oppose the Staff Recommendation (Item 32) to adopt the rule allowing these costs to be passed to ratepayers.
4. Keep it clear and respectful: note that you are a ratepayer, reference the lack of a full study, the existing high rates, and ask the Commission to delay or reject adoption until ratepayer impacts are properly evaluated.
You can also prepare a short statement (2–3 minutes) in case the item appears on an upcoming open meeting agenda. Public comment is allowed at the start of those meetings.
This affects anyone in Texas who pays an electricity bill. The more ratepayers who speak up now, the harder it is for the Commission to ignore the cost impacts on working families, seniors, and small businesses.
Share this with friends, neighbors, and local groups. Submit your comment today. Our bills are high enough.
Comment below if you need help. Do you really want to see another bill go up in your family budget?
#TexasRatepayers #PUCT #Project59523 #AffordableEnergy #WeThePeople #StopTheRateIncrease
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