Minnesota Utility Customer Advocate marks 10 years, hundreds of millions of dollars saved

June marks 10 years since the launch of the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota, or CUB, an independent nonprofit that advocates for the state’s utility consumers. Focused on lowering home energy bills, defending consumer protections, and decarbonizing home electricity and heating, CUB has made a considerable impact in the past decade.

Since its founding, CUB has helped save over $400 million in unfair utility charges for ratepayers in nearly all of Minnesota’s 87 counties through advocacy before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Its expert team has directly served more than 25,000 Minnesotans, helping households across the state avoid shutoffs, reduce utility costs, and understand home energy options. 

CUB has also made a mark on Minnesota energy policy. It helped spearhead the passage of a nation-leading law to protect ratepayers from the costs of providing electricity to power-hungry data centers. CUB has pushed to ensure utilities are on a path to reach the state’s goal of net zero emissions—and are not wasting ratepayer dollars along the way.

“CUB has long been one of the most thoughtful, trusted, and effective voices at the Capitol for everyday Minnesotans,” said Sen. Scott Dibble. “CUB brings expertise, persistence, and integrity to energy debates, but just as importantly, it brings values: the belief that ordinary people deserve a meaningful voice in decisions often dominated by powerful interests and enormous sums of money.”

“Utilities and large customers are well represented before the Public Utilities Commission, and it can be difficult for public-interest advocates to keep up. When I chaired the PUC, I saw the need to strengthen advocacy on behalf of residential ratepayers,” said Beverly Jones Heydinger, who chaired the Minnesota PUC between 2012-2017. “CUB raises issues and presents evidence on behalf of residential ratepayers that would otherwise be missing from these proceedings, and has helped make meaningful changes for Minnesotans over the past decade."

CUB will mark its 10th anniversary at its annual Consumers Celebration event on June 10 in St. Paul.

“CUB’s job is to stand up for Minnesotans,” said Executive Director Annie Levenson-Falk. “I’m so proud to be part of something that’s helped make people’s lives more affordable and Minnesota’s energy system cleaner, and very grateful for the support and collaboration CUB has received from people and organizations across Minnesota in our first 10 years.”

The Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota is an independent nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of Minnesota residential utility customers for affordable and reliable heating and electric utility service in Minnesota. Visit https://cubminnesota.org/ to learn more.