APCO interim rate hike approved; Public hearing set
Advertisement
Text size: small | medium | large
SCC News Release
Published: July 22, 2008
Read the news release below
The State Corporation Commission (SCC) has scheduled a public hearing in September to receive comments on a request by Appalachian Power (APCo) to increase the company’s fuel rate. The increase takes effect on an interim basis September 1.
APCo says the increase is necessary to cover the higher costs of fuel used to generate electricity. As filed, the company seeks to raise its current fuel rate from 1.418 cents per kilowatt-hour (¢/kWh) to 2.255¢/kwh. Under the interim rate, an average residential customer using 1,000 kWh in a month will see an increase of $8.37 on a monthly bill, or 11.7 percent. A final rate will be set upon completion of the proceeding.
The public hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 23, 2008. It will be held in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, in downtown Richmond. Any person wishing to comment at the hearing should arrive early and notify the SCC bailiff.
The SCC intends to webcast the audio portion of the hearing via the Internet. Instructions can be found on the SCC website at http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case.
Written comments on the proposals must be submitted by September 16, 2008. All correspondence should be sent to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118, and refer to case number PUE-2008-00067.
Interested persons desiring to submit comments electronically may do so at the SCC’s website: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case. Click on the PUBLIC COMMENTS/NOTICES link and then the SUBMIT COMMENTS button for case number PUE-2008-00067.
The company has two other rate requests pending before the SCC. An increase to base rates is being considered in case number PUE-2008-00046. An adjustment to the surcharge for recovering environmental and reliability expenses is being considered in case number PUE-2008-00045.
Page 1 of 1
Post a Comment
(Requires free registration)
- Please avoid offensive, vulgar, or hateful language.
- Respect others.
- Use the "Report Inappropriate Comment" link when necessary.
- See the Terms and Conditions for details.
Click here to post a comment.
Can't find what you're looking for? Try our quick search:
Reader Reactions
Posted by ( all320 ) on July 22, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I really do not feel as if AEP needs or deserves yet ANOTHER increase. It seems to me that a company that reports the kind of profits that it does, does not need the numerous increases that it requests. I believe that AEP is taking advantage of the fact that their customers have no where else to turn when it comes to their electrical needs. Unlike the phone service, where if I am unhappy I have several other alternatives, I have no one but AEP to turn to, to heat and light my home. We have had to endure somewhere around a half dozen increases over the last three or so years. While AEP gets on the news and says that the reason for this increase is due to rising coal prices and if those prices should drop, they (AEP) would of course decrease our rates. I for one cannot remember AEP ever DROPPING my rates. It is just a bunch of talk. I seems to me that large companies such as AEP are catering to their stock holders more than their customers. I for one am aware of the rising costs of everything.The difference between AEP and myself is that I am NOT showing millions of dollars in profits annually. What AEP considers to be a small increase to them is huge to someone like myself as well as to millions of people like me. That “small” monthly increase may be the difference between being able to continue to buy life sustaining medication or not. With gas continuing to rise and the cost of food sky rocketing, budgeting ones money is getting more and more difficult. I recently attempted to “green” my home, by switching over to CLF’s. I have also done small things such as unplugging appliances that are not in constant use and plugging them in only when needed. I have done everything I can in order to DROP my light bill to save a few dollars. All the things that everyone, inculding AEP, says I should. And now that I have managed to drop my bill by a few dollars, they want to increase it by about triple what I am saving. Why promote going “green” if everytime I follow your tips on saving money you increase my rates? At the time of the last rate increase request the SCC made that comment that “APCo’s customers deserve better treatment than the company wishes to impose upon them.” This comment was made in conjuntion with reminding us that at the time of this press release (5/07), we had already endured three rate increases over that last year. I hope that The Commission remembers this when deciding on this new request for yet ANOTHER increase. While The Commission did severely cut the amount of the last requested increase, I would request that this time they deny it completely and send a message to AEP that it CANNOT continue to take advantage of it’s customers. We DO deserve better treatment from this company. If they are not going to treat its customers fairly, willingly, then I think The Commission should use what authority it has to force the company to. I would ask that everyone who has the ability to either send by electronic comment on the SCC’s website or by old fashion snail mail a letter opposing this new request for an increase. Together our voices may just affect change.
Report Inappropriate Comment