By: Associated Press |
Rhode Island’s Public Utilities Commission is expected to decide Tuesday whether electricity rates for National Grid customers will increase 24 percent next month. The commission last week considered the rate-hike request at a 2½-hour meeting where audience members chanted ‘‘just say no.’’ The George Wiley Center, a poverty advocacy group in Pawtucket, is encouraging people who oppose the proposal to attend Tuesday’s meeting as well. Thomas Kogut, a commission spokesman, has said many regional utility companies have sought similar increases because of constraints on the gas pipeline that force up the price of electricity generation. National Grid serves about 480,000 customers in the state. (AP)