PSC Acts against Consumers Again…
March 5th, 2008
| Dear Friends:Once again the Missouri Public Service Commission takes action to benefit the utilities and not consumers. The attached St. Louis Post Dispatch editorial criticizes the PSC’s adoption of an environmental surcharge—criticism the Consumers Council of Missouri has raised ever since passage of SB179 in 2005. This unfortunate statute approves four possible surcharges which can be added to utility bills. The PSC has already approved two—the fuel surcharge and the environmental surcharge. Now each and every one will have to be opposed when they are presented for adoption. It will be a challenging task considering the current composition of the current PSC. I recommend you read the editorial in full.
Alberta Slavin, Consumer Council President
Post Dispatch Editorial
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Environmental dodge
03/04/2008
Missouri’s Public Service Commission has just given electric utilities another way to reach into consumers’ pockets. This time, it is using the environment as an excuse.
The commission regulates and sets rates for utilities. Last week, it approved a new rule that allows power companies to apply for permission to place surcharges on customer bills to cover the cost of complying with environmental rules. Such surcharges would be in addition to the utility’s regular power rates and possibly also on top of separate surcharges, authorized previously, to cover increases in fuel costs.
At first blush, this seems like a fair way to encourage environmental investment. Everyone wants the owners of dirty, existing coal-fired power plants to install the latest pollution-control equipment.
But the cost of installing new equipment is supposed to be built into a utility company’s base rates already. New requirements don’t come along very often, and when they do, utilities often are given to meet the new standards |
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Please see STLToday for the rest of the editorial
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