As the country and the rest of the world experience another year of scorching heat waves, private for-profit utility companies — who we rely upon for our basic necessities like heating, cooling and electricity — are keeping us reliant on climate-wrecking fossil fuels while reporting record profits.

When they work well, utilities exist in the background of our lives: they power our homes, cool us down when it’s hot, and give us heat when it’s cold. But too often, they are sources of aggravation: The power goes off when it’s dangerously hot or cold out, our bills skyrocket, and these for-profit companies threaten to shut off services when we’re unable to pay.

We know that climate change raises those stakes even higher, and utility companies themselves play a massive role in exacerbating the climate crisis: 80 percent of electric utilities in the U.S. run on fossil fuels.

Shifting utilities to clean energy is integral to working toward a safer climate, but these private, for-profit companies would rather maintain the status quo and keep the public in the dark. Utility companies are charging us more while they get paid off by the fossil fuel industry to block the transition to renewable energy.

Utility companies have gotten away with profiting at the expense of people and our planet for too long. It’s time we hold them accountable and demand they stop using our money to burn our future while individuals and families struggle. We deserve an energy system that allows everyone to have access to clean and affordable energy.

Heather Haverfield

Langley