Bucks County Democratic state Reps. Tina Davis, Tim Brennan, Brian Munroe, Jim Prokopiak and Perry Warren, voiced their strong opposition to PECO’s proposed gas and electric price hikes announced earlier this week.
On Monday, PECO filed a request with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to increase electric rates by 12.5% and natural gas rates by 11.4%. Families would pay, on average, an additional $20.08 a month for electricity and $14.52 a month for natural gas if the plan is accepted.
“As ordinary Pennsylvanians struggle to pay for groceries, rent, and electricity, PECO has decided to worsen the economic burden instead of alleviating it,” Munroe said. “I am strongly opposed to this rate hike.”
Pennsylvanians across the state are already dealing with higher PECO costs due in part to the construction of AI data centers that are sapping energy from the electric grid but are currently not compensating consumers, the lawmakers said. Brennan, Davis, Munroe, Prokopiak, and Warren all voted for H.B. 1834, which would begin the process of forcing data centers to pay for their own electricity. The bill passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives last week.
“Working class and middle-class families are already underwater,” Davis said. “If PECO thinks we are going to let them do this without a fight, they’ve got another thing coming.”
“Families across Pennsylvania are already stretched thin,” Brennan said. “Asking them to shoulder yet another double-digit utility increase is simply unacceptable.”
It is still unknown if the Pennsylvania Senate, which has a Republican majority, will take up bills such as H.B. 1834 or others outlined in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s GRID (Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development standards) plan.
“Families in my community and many across Pennsylvania will be hurt deeply, should this proposal be accepted,” said Prokopiak, who splits Levittown with Davis. “PECO’s actions yesterday were irresponsible, unethical, and frankly, idiotic.”
“The proposed rate increase far surpasses even the high inflation rate since January 2025,” Warren said. “Consumers already facing monumental cost increases for gas, food, healthcare, and other necessities should not and cannot be burdened with double-digit home energy price hikes. We oppose this proposal.”
The five Bucks County representatives have issued a petition to push back against PECO’s proposal. Residents can find it at this link.
Residents who want to file a formal complaint regarding the proposed rate hike can do so on the PUC website by clicking here.
Lower Bucks County based Republican have yet to comment publicly on the PECO rate increase request.
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