Obama was not capable of rising or lowering utility rates. No president can do that, or ever has done that. He was simply stating the truth. And rates have been raised, so he was correct in his prediction.
Gas, oil and coal fired utilities are allied with Big Oil, Big Gas and Big Coal. If you look at an annual report, you will see that the same directors that are on utility company boards of directors are often on the boars of directors of oil, gas and coal companies, as well as pipeline companies and others in the energy business.