On Oct 13th, 50by25 in partnership with other environmental organizations:
Published a piece detailing why electricity bills are going up.
Here is an excerpt:
Unpredictable energy costs are a real problem for our community. Harrisonburg has a high proportion of low-income residents with nearly 60% being Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE) or below the poverty level. Families, friends and neighbors in this category are harmed by rapid inflation in energy prices. A 28% rise in the price of electricity, as we have seen in the last two years, forces painful decisions between paying for energy and paying for basic necessities such as food, clothing, housing, and healthcare.
...
We can’t afford another restrictive long-term contract when the current one expires. Harrisonburg residents deserve access to today’s declining cost of clean energy; our low income residents deserve protection by our public utility from the burden of rising energy costs; and we have a moral obligation to honor the City’s established clean energy commitments and aspirations, and to develop a low-cost low-carbon municipal electric grid.
You can read the whole article at hburgcitizen.com.