U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) reintroduced legislation to prohibit utility companies from using ratepayer dollars to fund political activities, including the use of ‘dark money’ to fund ‘ghost candidates’ and undermine public trust.

Florida households already face some of the highest electric bills in the country – and bills are expected to increase by another $430 each year thanks to the Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill. At the same time, regulators in Florida’s Public Service Commission are working to approve record utility rate hikes with high shareholder profits.

In Florida, investigative reports revealed how affiliates of Florida Power and Light (FPL) – the state’s largest utility – used ratepayer money to secretly fund “ghost candidates,” spy on journalists and manipulate news coverage to sway elections. In Ohio, FirstEnergy was at the center of a major bribery scheme that resulted in racketeering charges. And in Illinois, Commonwealth Edison paid $200 million to settle a federal bribery investigation tied to state political leaders. These utility companies have not only abused their influence – they’ve also tried to stop the growth of affordable, cleaner energy like solar.

“Electric bills should pay for electricity – not political tricks to hijack elections, mislead voters and steal elections,” said Rep. Castor. “Florida families are tired of being taken advantage of by big utility companies that continue to raise rates while using their hard-earned dollars to bankroll deceitful political activities and block access to cleaner, cheaper energy. It’s time for Congress to stand up for customers, stop this abuse and secure our elections from corporate manipulation.”

Following reports of this scheme, Castor pressed the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate FPL and pursue transparency and accountability to protect ratepayers from unknowingly funding corrupt political activities.

"American families are already facing skyrocketing utility bills. They should not have to pay for the lobbying and public relations operations of their monopoly utility companies. By passing this bill, Congress can protect Americans from being forced to subsidize utilities and their Washington trade associations that advocate for policies that will raise their rates even higher," said David Pomerantz, Executive Director of the Energy and Policy Institute, a utility watchdog group.

“For years monopoly utility companies have forced customers to pay for lobbying against the clean energy that ratepayers want. Congress should finally put a stop to this scam and pass this bill,” said Howard Crystal, legal director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s energy justice program. “Utility bills are already sky high and the Trump administration is working overtime to subsidize fossil fuels and big tech data centers that will raise rates even more. Customers shouldn’t be unwittingly bankrolling utility trade groups working against a livable planet for their children.”

“Electric utilities should not be allowed to force families to bankroll political influence campaigns that protect their profits and block clean energy growth,” said Evergreen Action Senior Power Sector Lead Charles Harper. “It’s a broken system when customers are forced to fund the lobbying efforts that keep their bills—and utility profits—at record highs. This legislation would end that abuse and ensure utilities serve the public interest, not their own political agenda.”

Original Cosponsors: Doris Matsui (CA-07), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12)

Supporting organizations include: 350.org, Center for Biological Diversity, CLEO Institute, Energy and Policy Institute, Evergreen Action, GreenLatinos, Our Power, Public Citizen, Rewiring America, Sierra Club, Solar United Neighbors, The Pace Energy and Climate Center, Vote Solar.

The full text of the legislation can be viewed here.