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North Adams Council urges DPU to scrutinize proposed Berkshire Gas rate increase
Summary
At its Feb. 24 meeting the North Adams City Council unanimously voted to sign a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities opposing a proposed Berkshire Gas rate increase that would add roughly $27,968,238 in revenue (about 23%). Councilors said the rise would hit low‑income residents, students and municipal heating budgets.
The North Adams City Council on Feb. 24 voted to send a letter asking the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to apply ‘‘the strictest possible scrutiny’’ to Berkshire Gas’s request to raise rates, after councilors described testimony at a regional hearing that the increase would cause serious hardship.
The public services committee and three councilors who attended the hearing presented a draft letter citing the company’s requested $27,968,238 in additional revenue — described in committee materials as roughly a 23 percent increase — and local economic data. The letter states North Adams’s median household income is $48,521 and the city’s overall poverty rate is about 18 percent; it says more than 70 percent of local students qualify as low income. "This proposed rate hike would have a major impact on our residents, our government, and our businesses," the letter reads.
Councelor Marie McCarron, who spoke at the hearing, described residents who said a double‑digit increase on already strained household budgets could force them to choose between heat and food. "Listening to these people talk — regular people trying to make ends meet — was heartbreaking in itself," she said.
The committee noted the city’s FY2026 heating budget example: North Adams anticipates spending $216,916 to heat local K‑12 and technical school facilities, and estimated the requested rate would raise that cost by about $41,431. The committee’s submission asks the DPU to evaluate Berkshire Gas’s petition under the regulatory standards of prudence and necessity.
Council members also raised questions about the company’s financial structure; one speaker noted the utility is now owned by a foreign parent company and urged scrutiny of profit motives. Councilors discussed the role of the DPU and whether the commission could deny the increase; members said state regulators have the authority to reject or limit requested rate increases and that North Adams’ testimony should focus on local impact and factual challenges to the utility’s case.
After discussion the council moved, seconded and unanimously voted to submit the committee letter with the names of the councilors and to encourage individual submissions to the DPU before the filing deadline.
The DPU docket and Berkshire Gas’s filing are public; the council’s letter was scheduled to be filed before the commission’s deadline.
