Today the Pennsylvania Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee voted in favor of the Public Water Protection and Fair Utility Transition Act, HB 1964 by a vote of 15 to 11. The legislation sponsored by Committee Chair Danilo Burgos would impose a moratorium on water and sewer privatization for a year while a new working group studies the high cost of these deals and makes recommendations to protect residents and local businesses. The legislation would also stop predatory water system pricing by repealing Act 12 of 2016, which unleashed a wave of harmful privatization deals across Pennsylvania.

“We applaud the Committee for advancing the Public Water Protection and Fair Utility Transition Act to help stop the harm of dangerous water privatization schemes and make water more affordable for Pennsylvanians,” said Ginny Marcille-Kerslake, Senior Organizer for Food & Water Watch. “We urge the full House to pass this bill. Pennsylvanians deserve affordable water and an end to predatory water system pricing.”

“Today’s vote is an important step toward protecting our most vulnerable communities from skyrocketing water costs and the harmful impacts of privatization”, said Gabby Gray, Organizer for the Our Water Campaign at Pittsburgh United. “We commend the Pennsylvania House Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee for advancing HB 1964 and standing up for everyday Pennsylvanians. Now, the full House must act to pass this bill and ensure that clean, safe, and affordable water remains a public good—not a source of profit for large corporations.”

Water corporations signed 27 privatization deals between 2016 and 2023 using the inflated system pricing authorized under Act 12 of 2016. Following privatization under Act 12, household water bills skyrocketed by as much as 167 percent, with Exeter Township hit the hardest. 

“Water is essential to our lives, and our future generations,” said Chief Pomaj-chakmam-yajalaji of STG Ministries of North America. “It’s our living breathing relative. Your vote to support this bill will be your contribution to protecting our water from those who continually place profits over our water’s safety, and our future generations’ access to clean, affordable water beyond your own time in office.”

“Towamencin had to go through the extraordinary effort of passing a home rule charter to avoid privatization and the would-be doubling of sewer rates,” said Kofi Osei, Towamencin Township Supervisor and Organizer for Neighbors Opposing Privatization Efforts. “Passing the Public Water Protection and Fair Utility Transition Act is vitally important so Pennsylvania can take a pause on these inflated scams and really think about the best way to update our water and wastewater infrastructure without overburdening families.”

“Clean Water Action supports the advancement of HB 1964 as a critical step toward protecting Pennsylvanians from rising water costs driven by privatization,” said Curtis Da’Von with Clean Water Action. “In communities across Allegheny County—including Wilkinsburg, Braddock, and Rankin—families are already facing increasing financial pressure while dealing with aging infrastructure and ongoing environmental health risks like lead exposure. We urge lawmakers to go further by establishing permanent protections, ensuring transparency in rate-setting and infrastructure investment, and requiring meaningful community input before any future system sales.”

Currently, PA American Water is seeking another 15 percent increase, an additional $168.7 million in revenue. If the application is approved, a typical household in the utility’s main service areas using 3,500 gallons a month will pay a whopping $2,770 a year for water and sewer service. The two largest water corporations are also in the middle of a mega-merger deal to create one big water monopoly, further eroding public bargaining power in these deals. 

“Water is not a luxury,” said Ebony Flowers at New Voices for Reproductive Justice. “It is a basic condition for dignity, health, and survival. When large corporations are allowed to treat water systems like profit centers, it is Black communities, low-income families, and women already navigating systemic inequities who pay the price. We understand that you cannot separate reproductive justice from environmental and economic justice. If you cannot afford your water bill, if your access is unstable, if your community is being priced out of a basic human need, then your ability to live, care for your family, and make decisions about your body is directly impacted. HB 1964 is a necessary step toward restoring accountability and protecting our communities from being exploited. This is about drawing a line and saying our people are not profit margins.” 

The legislation now moves to the House floor for a vote.