Water privatization has led to rate hikes. Pa. regulators are now adding oversight to help keep bills from rising
Jun 14, 2024
https://whyy.org/articles/pennsylvania-water-bill-rate-hike-puc-privatization-oversight/
In an effort to keep residential water bills from rising due to privatization, Pennsylvania regulators are making changes to a state law that opened the floodgates for for-profit companies to take over public systems.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted in favor of an order Thursday morning to bring more transparency and review procedures to its decisions on privatization of water and sewer systems.
In 2016, state lawmakers passed Act 12, which created a process to determine the value of a public water system including its assets, expected revenue and potential repair costs. The process has led to high-dollar acquisition deals.