Category: Utilities
Consumers Council urges the MSD Board of Trustees to Adopt a Lower Rate Increase
On November 9, 2023, the MSD Board of Trustees will determine how high they will increase their rates over the next four years. The MSD Staff has proposed a 4-year wastewater rate increase which would increase consumers costs by 32.30%. Alternatively, in a minority report, four rate commissioners have recommended a 24.18% rate increase. They stated, “There is a cost to being overly conservative, and in this case, the cost is being borne by those who are least able to afford it in our population. As such, this overly conservative policy places an unfair burden on certain classes of ratepayers within the District.”
Consumers Council is advocating for the adoption of the minority report. We appeared before the MSD Board of Trustees on October 26, 2023 and will also be present at the meeting on November 9, 2023. We urge all who are affected by the proposed rate increase to attend that meeting and make comments on how higher MSD rates will affect you.
The MSD proposed rate and its affect on consumers was recently covered by Elliott Davis on Fox 2’s You Paid for It segment. Sandra Padgett, Executive Director of Consumers Council, points out that the proposed rate hike will add to the financial burden of those who are already struggling to pay their utility bills.
https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/continued-debate-over-proposed-msd-rate-hike/
MO PSC Approves Evergy’s Amended Application Seeking Tariff Revisions to TOU Program
On September 27, 2023, the Missouri Public Service Commission approved Evergy’s request to revise its Time-of-Use (“TOU”) program. The default TOU rate for Evergy customers will now be the low differential Peak Adjustment, instead of the high differential default TOU previously mandated.
Consumers Council has expressed concerns about TOU default rates, especially when customers are not provided with enough education and sufficient time to enable them to change their behavior and adjust to different rates applied to energy consumption at different times of the day.
In the most recent Ameren rate case, we argued against mandating time-based rates, saying that making them the default choice for consumers “has the potential to cause increased cost to those who can least afford it.”
“At particular risk are seniors, families with children under five, and those with medical need for air conditioning,” Jacqueline Hutchinson, Director of Advocacy, said in written testimony. “Shifting these customers to a potentially higher rate without their knowledge, with suggestions that they should not be using their air conditioning during the hottest part of the day, could lead to increased health risks.”
Ameren rates will be going up. The question is: Who will pay, and how much?
The state authorized Ameren last month to raise rates enough to boost revenue by nearly 9% or about $220 million a year. The parties discussed at a hearing on Thursday how to divide the costs between residential and industrial customers.
“It’s just a matter of how do you split the pie,” said John Coffman, a lawyer who advocates on utility issues for the Consumers Council of Missouri, describing the case ahead of the hearing. “That’s the one main issue that has not been resolved.”
The increases will take effect Feb. 28.
Missouri regulators, worried Spire is stoking fear, order the company to write letter to customers
The PSC’s motion Thursday said that Spire’s recent messaging to its regional customers — including emails and letters sent with bills — “appear to reflect an attempt by Spire to mobilize public opinion, through fear, in order to potentially pressure federal authorities” “We have heard a lot of fearmongering lately, much of it coming from Spire, itself, that residents of St. Louis are going to lose their natural gas service this winter,” FERC Chairman Richard Glick said at the meeting. “I think it’s time to turn down the rhetoric and examine the facts.”
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Nearly 650,000 homes and businesses in eastern Missouri rely on reliable, affordable natural gas from Spire STL Pipeline to fuel their lives. Learn more about the potential impact to the St. Louis community without the STL Pipeline. On September 14, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an emergency certificate to allow the STL Pipeline to keep operating for 90-days. That certificate will expire December 13, 2021.
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Utility rates could increase for more than 1 million Missouri customers next year
Low-income households, particularly in communities of color, spend a greater share of their income on utilities, according to several research studies. A report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, for instance, found Black households spend 43% more on energy costs than white households.
“Why does the bottom line have to affect people of low income the most? The cost is rolling directly down to consumers from low-income, predominantly Black and brown communities.”
Virtual public hearings in Ameren Missouri’s rate case will be held from Oct. 5 to 8.
Read More Here:
Ameren Missouri has requested a rate increase! Register today for a virtual public hearing to make public comments on how it would impact you!
According to Ameren Missouri:
- The adjustment in base rates would mean electric rates for an average residential electric customer (based on approximately 1,029 kilowatt-hours of usage per month) would increase by approximately $12 a month.
- The adjustment in base rates would mean natural gas rates would increase for an average residential customer by approximately $4 a month.
To attend the local public hearing by telephone, at the time of the hearing, call toll-free 1-855-718-6621, listen to the prompt and enter the meeting number (access code) set out below, followed by # (pound/hashtag symbol).
To participate by video/Internet, visit the website www.webex.com. You can also download the Cisco WebEx meetings application on your mobile device, laptop, desktop or tablet prior to the hearing and join the meeting at the hearing time by entering the corresponding access code and password listed below.
Ameren Missouri Electric Rate Case
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Ameren Missouri Natural Gas Rate Case
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Members of the public who wish to participate in the local public hearing, need to sign-up by sending their first and last name, phone number, email address and the hearing that they wish to attend to pscinfo@psc.mo.gov or by calling 1-800-392-4211 by 5 pm the day before the hearing.
Any person needing special accommodations to participate in the local public hearing as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the Missouri Public Service Commission at least 10 days prior to the local public hearing at one of the following numbers: Consumer Services Hotline 1-800-392-4211 or TDD Hotline 1-800-829-7541.
Individuals wishing to mail comments should send them to the Missouri Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102. They can also be sent electronically using the Commission’s electronic filing system at https://psc.mo.gov/General/Submit_Comments. When submitting comments, please refer to File No. ER-2021-0240 or GR-2021-0241, or both.
PSC reconsiders Spire case after Supreme Court remand
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — After the Missouri Supreme Court remanded part of Spire Missouri’s previous rate increase, the Public Service Commission (PSC) is moving forward with the issue as part of the company’s latest request.