This week, the staff at RHLS and the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project (PULP) had the opportunity to celebrate The Coalition for Affordable Utility Services and Energy Efficiency in Pennsylvania (CAUSE-PA) Executive Committee’s receipt of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network’s Excellence Award for Client and Lay Advocacy.
Since 2011, CAUSE-PA has served as the policy adviser to PULP, as the client wing of the PLAN utility work group, and has advocated on behalf of its members to enable consumers of limited economic means to connect to and maintain affordable water, electric, heating and telecommunication services.
CAUSE-PA membership is open to individuals residing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who are committed to the goal of helping low-income families maintain affordable access to utility services, achieve economic independence and family well-being.
The Executive Committee, chosen by the group as a whole, is the geographically diverse leadership arm of CAUSE-PA, empowered to provide guidance to PULP and to make decisions on behalf of CAUSE-PA in between the regular meetings and conference calls involving the whole group.
Since its formation, CAUSE-PA has proven to be an active and productive advocate, acting as an effective voice at the Public Utility Commission to provide balance to the positions of corporations or other factions or parties with competing interests.
“CAUSE-PA is a respected and tenacious advocate” said Harry Geller, Director of PULP. “Through its active intervention, not only are the energy burdens of the economically vulnerable reduced, but the need of those households to forgo other necessities such as food, medical care and shelter is lessened.”
An example of CAUSE-PA’s vital work includes their work with TURN, Inc. to advocate for PECO Energy customers. CAUSE-PA, along with another grass roots organization, TURN, Inc. filed a Petition for Review and Stay at Commonwealth Court to require electric suppliers to charge PECO’s CAP customers no more than the “price to compare”. A stay was granted in March 2014 and the Petition for Review is pending.
More than 140,000 PECO households in SE PA and 36,000 in SW PA have been protected by this stay!
This important work represents just one example of the important role that CAUSE-PA plays in providing a voice to low-income and vulnerable Pennsylvanians.
We congratulate the CAUSE-PA Executive Committee on receiving the award! Watch this video to learn more about their work: