Dear Editor,

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

There is a saying “you get what you pay for”, but in the case of your utility bill that sadly isn’t true. In Massachusetts, utilities bill you not just for the gas you use, but the gas leaked into the air from the old and ailing pipelines. There are over 16,000 pipeline leaks in Massachusetts, over 200 in Somerville alone. Residents of Massachusetts currently pay an estimated $90 million each year for gas that they never receive.

Representative Christine Barber has introduced a bill in the Massachusetts congress to stop utilities from charging consumers for this lost gas. This bill, H2683 An Act relative to protecting consumers of gas and electricity from paying for leaked and unaccounted for gas, would force utilities to shoulder the cost of the lost gas instead of consumers. This would not only return the $90 million per year to the residents of the commonwealth, but would incentivize the utilities to fix their ailing infrastructure. In order to make this change a reality, H2683 needs to be voted out of committee. Anyone who feels that they should not be paying for a resource that they never receive should contact their state representatives and urge them to vote for this bill.

Teasha Feldman-Fitzthum
Somerville