Pu & Fonseca speak out against ‘simply unacceptable’ proposed 20% utility hikes

32nd Legislative District Assembly candidates Jennie Pu and Crystal Fonseca are speaking out against “simply unacceptable” proposed 20 percent rate hikes by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“It is simply unacceptable that every ratepayer is facing a 20% increase in utility costs, with no justification beyond corporate greed. Families are already struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living—now they’re being asked to pay even more for the same service, with no accountability from those responsible,” they send in a joint statement.

“This is exactly why we are running to represent Hoboken and Jersey City in New Jersey’s 32nd Legislative District in the General Assembly. We refuse to stand by in silence while working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and small business owners carry the burden of a system designed to work against them.”

The Assembly is sponsoring a slew of bills, including A-5439 – which has Assemblyman Will Sampson (D-31) as a prime sponsor – to restructure the electric and gas public utility industries by allowing PSE&G and others to construct new power plants.

Pu, the Hoboken Public Library director, and Fonseca, the Jersey City Buildings and Street Maintenance director, are running with the support of the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO), the same organization that is backing Sampson for re-election.

The NJBPU announced last month that Basic Generation Service (BSG) won their annual electricity auction, which will lead to higher electricity costs projected to increase in a range between between 17.23 and 20.20 percent per average household.

“The lack of transparency and oversight from these utility companies is outrageous. This increase will force some households to choose between keeping the lights on and putting food on the table,” Pu and Fonseca continued in their statement submitted to the NJBPU.

“If elected, we will immediately join Senator Raj Mukherji and the rest of the legislature to demand greater oversight, transparency, and protections against these unjustified rate hikes … New Jersey residents deserve protection from blatant money grabs like this rate hike, and the BPU has failed in its responsibility to provide those protections.”