Wednesday, October 21, 2026
The room was packed with a line out the door during the public comment hearing for a Puget Sound Energy rate proposal on Tuesday evening, Sept. 29, at the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission’s headquarters in Lacey.
“We’ve replaced just about everything to something more efficient for which I’ve gotten no incentives and no rebates for,” said Becky Foster, a PSE ratepayer in Thurston County, during the four-hour hearing that drew about 100 commenters. “The last two years (the bill) has skyrocketed and we’re paying more than 50 percent over what we were paying before.”
She said she’s already paying around $600 a month on energy during the winter months. From 2022 to 2023, Foster said she paid $2,800 on electricity.
“That’s just the winter months for us now,” Foster said.
Washington’s largest utility is asking regulators to approve an increase in electricity rates by 29.3 percent and gas rates by 19.8 percent over the next three years. It’s also asking to increase its allowed return on equity, or profit that shareholders earn on their investment, from 9.9 percent to 10.8 percent.
In contrast with the state’s ambitious climate laws, the utility is also planning to use nearly $1 billion to maintain and build out its gas distribution system.
Puget Sound Energy’s electricity rates have already increased this year by 18.85 percent. One after another, members of the public voiced their concerns of affordability. Retired people on fixed incomes, low-income households and people dependent on electronic medical devices are among the most vulnerable to another rate increase.
“I’m here because my constituents are struggling to pay their energy bills, “ Rep. Beth Doglio, D-Olympia, told the three commissioners.
“Washington residents should not have to choose between keeping the lights on and protecting our climate. We can and must do both,” Doglio added.
In 2024, Doglio sponsored a bill that directs utilities that use both fossil fuels and renewable energy to phase out natural gas. The law, House Bill 1589, gives utilities new tools to make the energy transition affordable.
Though Puget Sound Energy is using two of those tools in the rate proposal, the law was not intended to be used while a utility increases investments in natural gas, Doglio said.
“Are these investments necessary? Cost effective? And, consistent with Washington’s clean energy goals?” Doglio said. “I am deeply concerned that many of them are not.”
Puget Sound Energy says its power supply costs have tripled since 2019, when Washington passed the Clean Energy Transformation Act, a law that mandates utilities make all electricity sales greenhouse gas neutral.
“We recognize that higher bills are difficult for our customers and that more rate increases are not what anyone wants to hear,” reads a Puget Sound Energy statement. “At the same time, the cost of providing safe and reliable energy has increased significantly.”
A glaring criticism of PSE’s proposal is its intention to convert the shuttered Centralia Power Plant into a gas-fired power plant, with operations projected to begin in late 2028.
“This is a very bad use of ratepayer dollars to put all this money into a project that isn’t necessary and that will interfere with our pollution and climate goals,” said Jan Hasselman, an attorney for nonprofit law group Earthjustice.
The utility is also seeking ratepayer recovery for two planned gas-turbine projects.
“There’s this horribly ironic feedback loop where we’re spending more and more money on fossil fuel projects … and spending ratepayer money to make our system more resilient (to) climate change,” Hasselman said.
The three commissioners will accept, reject or modify the proposal in early January. The next opportunity for public comment is Oct. 7.
Courtesy of Washington State Standard
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DudeGuyOly
I was there and it absolutely was packed. I'm not sure who got an 18% raise this year and who will be getting a 30% raise over the next 3.. the increases should be tied to inflation and reasonable increases to cover costs. Also, 10.8% guaranteed returns for shareholders? thats insane.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD AND COMMENT HERE. All instructions for emailing/calling/or attending the October 7th meeting here: https://www.utc.wa.gov/get-help-utility-or-transportation-service/submit-comment
Thursday, October 1 Report this
JW
Blame the state and their stupid clean energy requirements shackling PSE with increased costs.
Thursday, October 1 Report this
Honestyandrealityguy
I believe they are getting enough already.
Thursday, October 1 Report this
chrispc2u
Shareholder greed is rampant in America, especially the healthcare system. 30% in 3 years is insane enough. Plus another 10% cream on top for shareholders?? Seriously, WTF. It taking the knife, shoving it, then TWISTING IT.
Thursday, October 1 Report this
OlyMamaLlama
JW, is there anyone’s water you won’t carry? Good gravy.
Thursday, October 1 Report this
jimlazar
I attended and spoke at this public hearing. The quality of the testimony was excellent.
The legislature approved the Climate Commitment Act, and we the people voted to affirm our commitment to clean energy. Only a tiny portion of this increase -- less than 2% per year -- it tied to the Climate Commitment Act.
Most of the increase is for fossil gas generation, for shareholder profits, and for the very expensive transmission line that PSE built in Bellevue. That line could have been avoided entirely with a much smaller investment in load management.
The only solution to this is to form municipal utilities. Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater should initiate formation of public city-owned utilities immediately. CIties would have access to economical clean power from Bonneville Power Administration and the dams on the Columbia River; as a private utility, PSE cannot buy that cheaper power.
Voters in Jefferson County approved having their PUD provide electricity service in 2012. Today they are paying about 25% less than we are for more reliable power service.
Thursday, October 1 Report this
Shushu
I'm on a fixed income and will get a cola 3% raise that will give me $99 dollars more while my health insurance will increase by $140 a month. I am not using my heat pump because I can't afford it. I'm old and the heat about put me down on a few days. Guess we'll see what the cold does. This is their poor decisions and bad management resulting in financial gouging!
Thursday, October 1 Report this
Chris_R
What I find most amusing are the politicians who voted for CETA, which requires PSE to shut legacy generation and add renewables, then complain about the higher rates. When will rate payers wake up? JW is spot-on.
Thursday, October 1 Report this
JohnGear
Here, here to the PUD idea. It is absolutely insane that we're paying 10+% in "return on equity" as if PSE was taking any risk. Utility ownership is the safest investment on God's green earth, and should carry returns of, at most, the government's cost of borrowing (30-year bills), particularly since there is a huge surplus of capital sloshing around the world looking for safe, long-term investments. Utility commissions in WA as in every other state are captured by the private utilities they purportedly regulate, and we end up paying for the huge fees the investor-owned utilities pay to the cadre of "experts" who testify on their behalf at rate hearings before the utility commissions; these "experts" recycle their arguments and reports, always finding that the world will end if utilities don't enjoy a 10-% return on the sums they dump into huge capital projects (like the proposed conversion of Centralia to methane). For a utility, doing more with less is evil, because they make money by doing things the most capital intensive way possible.
Since there's no way we're ever going to wean the utility commissions off the teat of the utilities that captured them, we need to form a PUD so that we don't have this distorted incentive system.
Friday, October 2 Report this
JW
Take everything Jim Lazar has to say with a grain of salt. He's a former Thurston PUD commissioner, the organization that will acquire your private water service and then triple your rates overnight with no improvement in service.
Friday, October 2 Report this
CobraCommander
JW - you know, its okay to read the full article and formulate opinions based on factual information instead of whatever you just posted
Friday, October 2 Report this
CobraCommander
We should be looking into the projected profit margins PSE would receive from this. People are tired of being squeezed at every turn.
Friday, October 2 Report this
HotTractor
One problem is Not enough renewable energy has been added the grid. Places with higher renewables have had lower increases in cost for power.
Friday, October 2 Report this
DarHitchens
I wonder if it is widely known that while PSE operates in Washington and serves Washington customers and is regulated by Washington, its profits ultimately flow to a diversified ownership group led largely by Canadian pension and public-investment organizations?
Friday, October 2 Report this
Porter
How about we write some legislation that turns all of PSE's customers into PSE investors.
Friday, October 2 Report this