Information about several rate hikes was in the Missouri news this past week.
- A $0.34 hike for Laclede Gas Customers was approved by the Public Service Commission, to take effect beginning March 31. This brings the total monthly charge for customers to $1.34. This charge will appear on customers’ bills as the infrastructure system replacement surcharge. (ISRS) For more information about what the surcharge covers you can visit this St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.
- Missouri American Water Company has put a request forward in front of the Missouri Public Service Commission to raise their rates by 21 percent. Missouri-American serves about 370,000 customers in St. Louis County. This proposed rate increase, to upgrade the company’s infrastructure, would increase the average customer’s bill by $5.40 per month, or $16.20 every quarter. For more information about this proposal you can visit this St. Louis Post-Dispatch article. (Note: this article was also featured in the previous post.)
- Empire District Electric Company is proposing a rate increase of almost 20 percent per 1000 kilowatt-hours for its customers. A public hearing was held on the evening of Monday, March 22nd, at which many individuals aired their concerns on how this increase would impact them. Empire services the Joplin area, and this proposed increase would go towards funding the “largest expansion program in the company’s 100-year history,” according to this article about the proposal in the Joplin Globe.
About 30 people attended the PSC hearing on the proposed water rate increase last night (March 31) Meramec Community College. I testified that both the 11 percent increase ROI being requested by Missouri American and the 9 percent increase being recommended by the PSC staff are excessive rates of return under current market conditions.
Bob Pieper
Richmond Heights.