Mayor Wheeler speaks out against Portland General Electric's proposed rate hike

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has joined an ongoing community outcry against another rate increase proposed by Portland General Electric that, if approved, would go into effect in January 2025.

PGE first requested state regulators to approve a 7.4% rate increase back in February. But according to a filing with the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC), the utility company has since upped its request to 10.9%.

"This proposal places an undue burden on Portland’s residents, particularly our most vulnerable populations, as well as adding significant new costs for the City of Portland at a time when budget cuts are already impacting city services," Mayor Wheeler wrote in a recent letter to the PUC. 

This increase follows an 18% rate hike in early 2024, marking a 43% total increase since 2021. PGE claims the proposed rate increases were calculated based on rising energy costs.

Mayor Wheeler’s office said it recognizes “the necessity of infrastructure investments in upgrades and resilience efforts,” but noted that “following these rate increases, we have observed a distressing rise in utility disconnections, with PGE reporting the highest number since records began in 2018.”

Meanwhile, customers claim an even higher bill could make the cost of living unaffordable for local residents. On behalf of utility customers, an advocacy group known as the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board has asked the PUC to delay or reject it. 

“They can’t be raising rates three and four times the rate of inflation year after year because their customers simply can’t afford it,” Bob Jenks, the executive director of the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, previously told KOIN 6 News.

The PUC has yet to make a decision, sharing that they need to hear additional clarification on why the rate increase is necessary. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 people have submitted public comments. The opportunity to submit a comment remains open through the end of August.

“Residential ratepayers, already strained, face disproportionate increases that impact low-income residential ratepayers the most,” Wheeler said, adding, “Given the critical nature of this issue and its potential impacts, it is crucial that the decision-making process incorporates the broad implications of these increases on the economic wellbeing of our community.”

Below is Mayor Wheeler's letter to the PUC in its entirety:

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