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Today's Poll!Public, PSC don’t agree on Ameren rate request
Despite utility customers’ protests about rates, agency says it’s hamstrung by law
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Is there a “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus” disconnect between the Missouri Public Service Commission and the public?
At a recent public hearing to help the PSC decide on Ameren Missouri’s current request for an 11 percent rate hike, the PSC and public seemed to be on two different wavelengths.
The PSC outlined its role, which is generally to form just and reasonable rates, while allowing utilities such as Ameren to recover prudently incurred costs.
One by one, Ameren customers bombarded the PSC with an almost unified theme: The economy’s bad. Don’t raise rates.
PSC Chairman Kevin Gunn said that if the PSC simply shot down a utility rate request because of the poor economy, that utility would have grounds to sue.
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Comments
BigRedOne 2 years, 1 month ago
As distasteful as rate increases are don’t be too fast to blame AmerenMissouri. The EPA is seemingly making rules for utilities (and all industries) that simply don’t make sense and are causing prices to skyrocket. Now don’t get me wrong EPA is still needed or we would go back to very high pollution rates in both air and water, but things have been cleaned up and if we do nothing more than enforce current regulations we would be dong very well. AmerenMissouri just spent $700 million on scrubbers for the Sioux Plant (a two unit coal plant) and they are getting ready to do the same to the Labadie Plant (a four unit coal plant). These are not small amounts of money and most utilities could not afford to make these upgrades. Just remember, it is not always about profit.
cynrb1955 2 years, 1 month ago
If Ameren was really concerned about the costs of their improvements they should consider not giving their CEO's big pay raises and bonuses. The PSC says that if they turn down a raise due to the economy, Ameren would have grounds to sue. I wonder how the reverse is not true. We the consumers cannot afford an 11 per cent rate increase due to the economy yet it seems that we are not considered in the proposal and hearings. If that is truly the case, then why have a meeting where the consumers voice their concerns if those concerns are not given any consideration?
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