Residents and consumer advocates warn proposed power plant rules could force families to pay more for unnecessarily expensive electricity
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia residents and consumer advocates gathered outside the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) today to call on commissioners to protect ratepayers from higher electricity costs as the PSC considers new rules implementing House Bill 2014.
The press conference was held in advance of a 9:30 a.m. public hearing on the proposed rules at PSC headquarters in Charleston. Speakers urged the Commission to make affordability a priority and reject rules that could encourage utilities to operate their own power plants even when less expensive electricity is available through the regional power market.
For West Virginia families already struggling with rising utility bills, speakers said the issue is straightforward: utilities should provide reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost, and customers should not be required to pay more simply because a utility owns a particular power plant.
“West Virginians are already struggling with electric bills they cannot afford, and the last thing they need are rules that unnecessarily add to those costs,” said Emmett Pepper, policy director, Energy Efficient West Virginia, coalition partner of West Virginians for Energy Freedom. “The proposed rules could cancel out residents and businesses’ actions to reduce energy costs by making their buildings more efficient."
The PSC is considering rules to implement HB 2014, the Power Generation and Consumption Act passed by the West Virginia Legislature in 2025. The law directs the Commission to establish requirements related to electric generating capacity, including operation and maintenance of existing generating facilities.
West Virginians for Energy Freedom and its partners are concerned that the proposed rules could encourage utilities to operate coal-fired generating plants nearly all the time, including during periods when generating electricity at those plants costs more than purchasing electricity from the regional market.
Those additional costs do not simply disappear. Ultimately, they can show up on the monthly bills paid by West Virginia families, seniors, small businesses and other utility customers.
“West Virginians deserve more options for controlling their energy costs, not policies that leave families with fewer choices and higher bills,” said Leah Turgeon, West Virginia state director of Solar United Neighbors. “The Public Service Commission should be looking at solutions that give customers greater control over how they use and produce energy while keeping electricity affordable. West Virginians should have a meaningful voice in decisions that will affect their utility bills for years to come.”
Residents participating in the press conference described what rising electric bills already mean for their household budgets, and coalition members emphasized that the debate is not about choosing between reliability and affordability.
“In the winter of 2025, my electric bill went from, at most, $200 to $250 per month for my two-bedroom apartment to more than $500 a month,” said Lani Wean, West Virginia field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. “My HVAC could not keep up with the sub-10-degree temperatures for weeks on end and, combined with the constant rate increases from our utility companies, neither could my wallet.”
The Sept. 28 hearing is part of the PSC's general investigation into rules implementing HB 2014, Case No. 26-0633-E-GI. While HB 2014 is best known as a data center or microgrid bill, a portion of the legislation related to how coal-fired power plants are operated in the state. The proposed rules suggest that the utility-owned plants should run, even when cheaper electricity is available from the regional grid (PJM); if the utilities do that, it would increase costs to electric customers.
West Virginians for Energy Freedom is urging the PSC to ensure the final rules:
Require utilities to use the lowest-cost reliable electricity available to serve customers;
Protect customers from unnecessary power-generation costs;
Avoid encouraging utilities to operate expensive generating plants at a loss; and
Put affordability and ratepayer impacts at the center of PSC decision-making.
“West Virginians can’t shop around for another electric company when their bills become unaffordable,” Pepper said. “That is why the Public Service Commission's role is so important. Monopoly utilities need strong oversight – the top priority needs to be cost-effective power, even if that means our utilities’ power plants are used less often.”
More information about HB 2014 and the proposed power plant rules is available from West Virginians for Energy Freedom at EnergyFreedomWV.org/HB2014.