THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2021 Page 11 AG report shows residents lost $426M through competitive electric supply contracts in last five years A ttorney General Maura Healey recently released a report finding that in the last five years individual residential customers who received their electricity from competitive suppliers paid $426 million more on their bills than they would have paid if they had stayed with their utility companies. This is the third report from the AG’s Office that shows that residents who enroll with these companies continue to overpay for electricity by tens of millions of dollars each year. Overall, the approximately 450,000 individual residential customers in the state who are currently enrolled with competitive suppliers lost $173 million in the most recent two years of data examined in the report. The AG’s report also found that these suppliers continue to charge low-income residents and residents in communities of color COVID-19 | FROM PAGE 7 oping that are immune to the vaccines. “That is possible, the best way to prevent that from happening is to end this before it happens, which means wearing masks and distancing while we vaccinate as fast as humans have ever vaccinated an entire population,” he said. However, Linas stressed that the uptick in cases is not the result of schools reopening. “Schools are too essential to loosely blame for epidemiology that has many other clear explanations,” he said. “Our goal should be to keep schools open, even with another surge, unless it becomes very clear that there is a great deal of in-school transmission occurring.” In addition, Linas said the reopening process has been moving too fast. “We are too quick to reopen indoor dining and to allow fans back at sporting events. I know that no one wants to hear this, but no one wants a fourth surge without acknowledging the laws of nature,” he said. “I am sensitive to the need for economic recovery and identify strongly with small business owners who are facing existential financial threats. But we are so close. I really think that with a concerted effort to limit our interactions and double down on masks and distance, combined with ongoing vaccination efforts, we could be at herd immunity by the end of the summer. We can see the finish line; now is the time to dig deep and begin the hard sprint to the end.” higher rates for their electricity. The report’s findings highlight the urgent need to pass legislation that Healey, State Senator Brendan Crighton and State Representative Frank Moran filed earlier this year that will ban these companies from signing up new individual residential customers in Massachusetts. “This report details the dishonest marketing and unfair contracts being used by competitive electric suppliers to take advantage of low-income ratepayers in Gateway Cities like Lynn,” said Crighton. “The legislation that I filed in partnership with Attorney General Healey and Representative Moran would put an end to these deceptive practices employed by these companies to prey on low-income consumers and those with limited English proficiency.” “The Attorney General’s report once again finds that low-income residents in Massachusetts continue to pay too much to competitive electric suppliers for the same electricity that their utility company supplies for less,” said Attorney Jenifer Bosco of the National Consumer Law Center. “Massachusetts AG REPORT | SEE PAGE 22 customers have already lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to the deceptive sales practices of many competitive supply companies. Other states have stepped up to protect their residents and it’s past time for Massachusetts to catch up and stop the financial harm to our families and neigh
12 Publizr Home