NW Natural is seeking to raise an additional $81.8 million, which would result in an average 11.8% increase to residential gas bills in Oregon. This is in addition to the average 13.2% increase that residential customers saw in November 2021. This request is to cover, in part, increases to executive salaries, increases to investor profits, subsidies for fossil fuel infrastructure, and advertising expenses.
NW Natural has asked the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) to approve this rate hike, and the Commission needs to hear from all of us before making any decisions. Please sign our petition before March 30th to tell OPUC why they shouldn’t let this happen.
Many Oregonians and NW Natural customers are experiencing financial hardship during these unprecedented times. The compounding impacts of fossil fuel-induced climate change, together with the COVID-19 pandemic, have placed an enormous burden on some households to pay for living expenses, including utility bills. Low-income households are more vulnerable to the financial impacts of higher utility rates. This proposed rate increase would force these already energy-burdened households to spend a greater portion of their income on utility bills, leaving less income for other necessities such as food and health expenses.
Sign the petition today!
If you would like to submit your own written public testimony, you can also email your thoughts to [email protected] by March 31st. Here is a NW Natural Rate Hike Online Action Toolkit you can use to write your testimony.