The people of the Commonwealth need to understand one simple truth: when it comes to CUC, delay is no longer neutral. Delay now means higher risk, less transparency, and fewer options for the public.
On March 31, 2026, CUC announced that the Fuel Adjustment Charge for April would increase from $0.22075 per kilowatt-hour to $0.24500 per kilowatt-hour. CUC also said the full calculated April fuel charge was $0.44489 per kilowatt-hour, but anything above $0.24500 requires CPUC approval because the FAC freeze was lifted effective March 15, 2026. In plain English, the cost pressure is already here, and it may get worse.
At the same time, CUC is moving forward with CUC-RFP-25-021, a major renewable energy procurement for solar, battery storage, and grid improvements across the islands. Public reporting says the winning bidder will receive a 25-year multimillion-dollar contract. A court denied one company’s attempt to stop the process, but that does not answer the bigger question every ratepayer should be asking: why should the public be expected to trust a long-term utility commitment of this size without full transparency, independent review, and complete accountability first?
That is exactly why the Legislature must act now on the pending CUC oversight measures.
HB 24-87 calls for an independent valuation of CUC and restoration of oversight protections. HB 24-88 is part of the broader push for meaningful outside utility-expert review. These are practical tools to answer basic public questions: What is CUC actually worth? What condition is the system in? What are the real risks? Are the numbers and assumptions sound? And is the public being asked to carry costs without first being shown the full truth?
There is also HB 24-99, which strengthens the law against theft of utility services. Some may try to treat that as a separate issue. It is not. Theft of utility services hurts every honest paying customer. When power or water is stolen, the losses do not disappear. They are absorbed into a strained system that eventually looks back to the paying public to cover the difference.
This is why the need is now.
Not next week, because rate increases are already in motion.
Not next month, because the procurement process is already in motion.
Not next year, because by then the contracts may be signed, the financial assumptions may be locked in, and the public may be told it is too late to ask the hard questions. That is how the people lose leverage. That is how oversight becomes a formality instead of a safeguard.
The public is not asking for miracles. The public is asking for honesty, transparency, and responsible timing.
Before another cent is pushed onto ratepayers, the public should see a full monthly FAC breakdown.
Before a 25-year deal moves forward, the public should have independent valuation and true utility-expert review.
Before anyone says ‘trust the process,’ the process itself should be open enough to earn that trust.
This is not anti-renewable energy. It is not anti-CUC. It is not anti-progress. It is pro-ratepayer, pro-accountability, and pro-common sense.
The Commonwealth cannot afford to keep making major utility decisions first and asking hard questions later.
On CUC, the time for action is not next week, next month, or next year.
The time is now.
By Rep. Vincent R. Aldan Chairman, House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
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