Residents, solar advocates urge council to oppose El Paso Electric rate increase, warn of harms to vulnerable households

Speakers at the July 22 El Paso City Council meeting urged the council to oppose a pending El Paso Electric rate increase, describing potential harms to low‑income residents, renters, medically dependent households and rooftop solar owners.

Veronica Carvajal, an organizer with the Sembrando Esperanza coalition, told council members the coalition submitted technical comments and more than 600 public comments to the Public Utility Commission process and asked the council to “stand with us” and oppose the proposed residential rate increases.

"We are asking that you say no to higher bills, that are driven by corporate greed and by climate pollution," Carvajal said, adding that the coalition estimates 40% of El Paso households could face an excessive energy burden if the proposal passes. She gave an example from local billing data: a single‑bedroom apartment that used 358 kilowatt‑hours in July had a bill this year of $58; under the company’s proposal that usage would see a monthly bill of $79 — a 31% increase and roughly $161 more over a year. In a hotter year, she…