MA H3400

Gas and electric companies cannot pass costs to ratepayers for promotional or political advertising, including ads to influence public opinion on legislative matters or encourage utility service usage

Utilities are prohibited from recovering costs through rates for trade association memberships, charitable giving, lobbying activities, political contributions, institutional advertising, executive travel and entertainment perks, or private aircraft use by directors and officers

Costs for participating in contested proceedings before the Department of Public Utilities, including attorneys' fees, expert witnesses, and related employee salaries, cannot be recovered through customer rates

Utilities must submit annual compliance reports by March 1 detailing all prohibited expenses, including itemized vendor payments, employee salaries tied to lobbying work, and third-party vendor identities

Violations result in non-recoverable penalties of at least the amount improperly recorded, plus mandatory customer refunds with interest; penalty funds may be distributed as ratepayer rebates or to enforcement agencies