Rate cases set what Rhode Islanders pay for electricity and gas, and the PUC is weighing whether to help individuals and nonprofits afford experts to challenge utility requests. The commission is also asking whether ratepayer money should fund such a program.
In Rhode Island Energy’s latest rate case, the Conservation Law Foundation, the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund each contributed to the fee for a single expert witness’s testimony, according to that testimony as filed with the Public Utilities Commission. Three national organizations split one bill to put one expert on the record.
The PUC is now asking whether Rhode Island should help pay for that kind of participation, and who should cover the cost…