U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III pressed for a reevaluation of current energy prices due to record-high costs across the region, according to a Friday press release.
A letter was sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, signed by 19 members of the New England Congressional Delegation, restating concerns about the yearly energy auction that sets rates across the region for the next several years, according to the release.
“The continued increase of rates across the New England region is alarming, and the FERC’s inability to conclusively rule on the results of the February 2014 Forward Capacity Auction Eight (FCA8) failed to address the drastic rate increases for ratepayers,” the letter said. “Now that FERC can benefit from the counsel and participation of all five members, we urge the Commission to reevaluate the FCA8 rates pursuant to the Federal Power Act.”
This is not Kennedy’s first attempt at decreasing these prices. In June 2014, Kennedy wrote a letter to the FERC after 2014’s energy auction, requesting more information from the Commission and calling the results “deficient.”
The press release stated that Kennedy’s initial letter to the FERC had been inconclusive. Markey and Kennedy then sent another letter calling the FERC’s actions unacceptable.
The Friday letter urged the FERC to be mindful of New England taxpayers during the upcoming energy auction.
“We ask that the Commission closely monitor the upcoming auction and consider the impact of rate prices on consumers in deciding whether to certify the results later this year,” the lawmakers wrote. “We stand ready to work with you to uphold the Commission’s mission to protect reliable, efficient and sustainable energy at a reasonable cost for consumers.”
