Upcoming Public Utility Commission Hearings on Aqua PA's proposed rate increases

The PUC just announced it has scheduled additional public input hearings concerning Aqua PA's request to increase service rates by a total of approximately $126.7 million annually.

The closest set of in-person hearings to the 168th is on Wednesday, August 7 at Delaware County Community College, STEM Building – Room #1403 (Auditorium), 901 S. Media Line Road, Media, PA 19063. There will be two hearings; the first begins at 1 p.m. and the other at 6 p.m.

Telephonic input hearings will be held on Wednesday, August 14. Again, there will be two separate hearings that begin at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Please pre-register by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 by emailing the PUC Judge’s Legal Assistant, Christina M. Biggica, at cbiggica@pa.gov, or by calling the judge’s office at 717-787-1191 and leaving a voicemail with the following information:

• Your first and last name.
• The phone number you will be using to participate
• A phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing 

Residential bills could increase around $16.10/month for water and $14.92/month for wastewater. 

Virtual Forum: Advocating to the Public Utility Commission

Thank you to everyone who tuned in and submitted questions for our Virtual Forum on advocacy with Patrick Cicero, PA’s Consumer Advocate. It’s Patrick and his agency’s job to represent the interests of the commonwealth’s consumers and local businesses before the PA Public Utility Commission (PUC), including when the PUC is considering rate increase requests by local utilities.

Right now, two pending rate increase requests would affect our district: those filed by Aqua (water & wastewater services) and PECO (electricity and natural gas services).

Watch the recording to learn more about the roles of the Office of Consumer Advocate and the PUC, and the processes they’re required to undertake by law when a PA utility requests a rate increase, as well as guidance for how to offer your own input to the PUC when your utility does so. For example, Patrick talks about:

• What types of experiences you should share related to the utility’s rates and services;
• What to expect when attending a public input hearing; and
• Preparing a written statement, and how to emphasize key points.