No Blank Checks for Monopoly Utilities

Electricity is getting more and more expensive in Iowa. MidAmerican Energy has raised rates by 30% since 2010 and Alliant Energy requested a 24% raise in 2019 and is currently seeking to raise residential customer bills by $200 per year by 2025. 

Enough is enough. 

Join us in telling lawmakers that it's time to act to lower rates and protect Iowans from rising electricity bills. 

Here’s the deal: 

• The Iowa legislature made the decision to allow MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy monopoly status, so they already have guaranteed customers. 
• Plus, for every new project they build with our money, they also get a guaranteed profit of 9-12%.  
• Now, these for-profit utilities are asking lawmakers to write them a blank check on our behalf so they can build whatever they want, even if it isn’t needed to serve Iowans. 
• Lawmakers set up this system and now they must act to keep our rates from skyrocketing. The message is simple: no more blank checks for monopoly utilities. 

For more than 20 years, the legislature has let the monopoly utilities write their own rules and this has led to Alliant customers paying some of the highest rates in the state with another rate increase coming this Fall. 

Small and large businesses, cities and counties, advocates for low-income Iowans, and environmental groups all agree that open and transparent planning will benefit Iowa customers. It is time for the Legislature to act to truly protect Iowans from monopoly utility greed. 

These monopoly utilities don’t have to compete for customers, leaving little incentive to keep costs low and robbing us of the opportunity to shop around for a lower rate. We pay for every project they build, plus all the extra stuff like executive pay and office spaces, and we only have protections the state provides for us. Lawmakers did this and they should act to keep our rates from skyrocketing. 

This legislative session, lawmakers are again allowing utilities to write their own rules, prioritizing the profits of their wealthy out-of-state shareholders over hardworking Iowans. 

The utilities have outsized influence at the statehouse and the only way to push back is with your help. Contact your legislator today and tell them to push for transparency and accountability for these monopoly companies.