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The need for low-income consumer protections with the FTC’s Green Guides

By Tyson Slocum

Today Public Citizen, National Consumer Law Center, the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project and the Maryland Energy Advocates Coalition submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission on the need to improve protections for low-income consumers in the Commission’s Green Guides. We urge the FTC to adopt changes to the Green Guides that will discourage and reduce the use of deceptive environmental claims for marketing several home energy products to consumers. Deceptive claims associated with energy supply contracts, renewable energy certificates, gas and alternative gas utility services, and other products lead customers to purchase energy products that they do not need or overpay for home energy. Misleading environmental claims can also create suspicion and mistrust when consumers learn of the falsehoods, which undermines support for effective measures to fight climate change. Read our complete comments here: Consumer Groups Comments on FTC Green Guides