DOVER, Del. — A new bill aimed at helping Delawareans with rising energy costs has sparked a political showdown in the General Assembly, with Democratic and Republican lawmakers offering competing proposals.
House Bill 50, introduced by Rep. Debra Heffernan and Sen. Stephanie Hansen, seeks to create the Delaware Energy Fund, which would provide direct financial assistance to moderate-income households. The bill would also allocate additional funding to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
“I’ve received an overwhelming number of calls and emails from constituents who were blindsided by the dramatic increase in their energy bills—many are paying two, three, even four times what they normally do,” Heffernan said. “These programs will provide immediate relief to those who need it most, and as an added bonus, they do so without adding any extra cost to the state.”
The Delaware Energy Fund would be financed through proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-state program that limits carbon emissions from power plants. Additionally, LIHEAP would receive extra funding from alternative compliance payments, which are fees paid by electric suppliers that fail to meet renewable energy targets.
Under HB 50, households earning less than 350% of the Federal Poverty Level—$112,525 annually for a family of four—would qualify for assistance. The legislation also includes a requirement for recipients to participate in energy efficiency programs. If enacted, the bill would automatically expire after three years.
Republican Opposition
Republican lawmakers, however, argue that the bill is a political maneuver that repackages their own proposal. Rep. Bryan Shupe criticized the Democratic majority, claiming they took his and Sen. Gerald Hocker’s plan and presented it as their own.
“A week after Senator Hocker and I introduced a bill to give green energy credits directly to Delaware ratepayers to help with rising electric bills, the majority party took the idea, created their own bill, and plastered it everywhere claiming they solved the problem,” Shupe said in a post on Facebook.
Shupe and Hocker’s proposal, separate from HB 50, seeks to address rising energy costs by redirecting RGGI revenues back to ratepayers instead of funding government programs. They argue that Delaware’s participation in RGGI has contributed to higher electricity costs by discouraging traditional energy investments and forcing the state to import power at higher prices.
“Rather than funneling millions of dollars into government-controlled programs, we should return these funds to the people who paid them, providing much-needed relief to families and businesses struggling with high energy bills,” Shupe and Hocker said.
If their proposal fails, the lawmakers say they will introduce legislation to withdraw Delaware from RGGI entirely, a move they claim would prevent further rate increases. They also plan to revisit previous renewable energy mandates, which they argue have eliminated cost protections for consumers.
What’s Next?
HB 50 has been assigned to the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee for review. Meanwhile, the debate over the best approach to lowering energy costs is expected to intensify as both parties push their plans forward.