This is unreal, read this and tell me if National Grid isn’t just out to rape the hell out of the citizens of Rhode Island:

National Grid asks for marketing funds

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, August 28, 2008

By Timothy C. Barmann

Journal Staff Writer

WARWICK –– Should natural gas customers of National Grid be required to pay for a $1.4-million marketing program designed to encourage more households to switch from heating oil to natural gas?

That is one of several issues before the state Public Utilities Commission, which is now considering several proposals from the state’s dominant gas and electricity utility, some of which would result in higher distribution rates for its gas customers.

And there’s more:

The state Public Utilities Commission today will begin considering a major restructuring of National Grid’s natural-gas distribution rates in Rhode Island, including a company proposal that would increase a typical customer’s bill by about 4.6 percent.

National Grid, the dominant gas and electricity utility in the state, said the rate increase would allow the company to speed up replacement of aging gas lines and create a discount for low-income customers. It would also increase the company’s “return on equity” –– a way of measuring profitability –– from 4.5 percent to 9.23 percent.

National Grid also wants the PUC to restructure distribution rates in a way that would protect the company from revenue losses that result from the conservation efforts of its customers.

Protect them from revenue losses due to conservation? What, what? what? I read about a Niagra falls electric utility that did the exact same thing and I knew the day would come that we here in RI would have to put up with such bovine effluvia.

Hell fucking no! It’s said by allowing National Grid to do this our gas bills will rise about 5%. Add this to the 21% increase in electrical rates and you can see why I’m pissed off. I’m seriously considering moving to Massachusetts. At the very least their PUC seems to have brass cojones when compared with the roll over toothless PUC we have here in Rhode Island.

Actually I should be more generous, the PUC here in Rhode Island has had some teeth when dealing with the telecom providers. But they have no pull when it comes to energy utilities.

BTW, deregulating our energy market didn’t save us a god damned dime. It did however make what was once Narragansett Electric and Blackstone Valley Electric very good takeover targets and National Grid, being it’s usual predatory self, snapped it up.

They knew they could fuck us over. I say let the regulatory pendulum swing back!