Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch today issued the following statement concerning National Grid’s approach to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), to gain permission to increase its distribution rates that would hike a typical Rhode Island resident’s electricity bill by 11.2 percent as of January 1, 2010.

Attorney General Lynch’s comment is as follows:

“National Grid’s request for a residential rate increase of a whopping 11.2 percent would be troubling under any circumstances, but coming at a time when so many Rhode Islanders are struggling in the midst of horrendous economic circumstances makes it especially burdensome to all of us.

“Yesterday morning, I learned that the PUC will hold an initial pre-hearing conference in this case this Friday, June 5th. I have directed a Special Assistant Attorney General from my staff to attend the conference and to begin legal papers to intervene into this docket on behalf of this office and the ratepayers of Rhode Island. While my office routinely represents the Division of Public Utility Carriers (DPUC) in rate hearings—which we will also do in this case—I am assigning an additional person to represent the Attorney General’s Office so that we will be prepared to advocate for ratepayers not only in opposition to National Grid, but also the DPUC, if warranted.

“We have worked in conjunction with National Grid on a number of initiatives for the benefit of Rhode Islanders, such as the project that would bury the power lines traversing the Providence and East Providence waterfronts, on the purchase of Southern Union’s assets, and in a settlement involving rate freezes that was arrived at in a spirit of cooperation among National Grid, the DPUC, and my office. Despite this history of cooperation, a proposed rate hike of this magnitude fully justifies the exceptional step of this additional voice to scrutinize the request and to do everything that can be done to hold rates at justifiable levels.”

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