Dear Editor:
I have three areas concerning our utility, AmerenUe, that I would like to pass on to their customers, and your readership.
Have you heard what happened in Florida. Florida legislators passed a law forcing Duke Energy customers to pay up to $1.5 billion in higher taxes for a proposed nuclear power plant. Now that power plant won't be built after all. Florida customers will not get any of their money back, and actually be paying for the failed plant for years. Fortunately our legislators didn't pass a similar law even though Ameren and Sen. Kehoe were pushing hard for it. We need to keep a sharp eye out to avert another attempt by Ameren.
The tough part about the Duke affair is that the Florida customers have to pay the due amount, which is $1.5 billion. The greed part is that Duke shareholders get to keep $150 million of that money. Shame!
The Missouri Public Service Commission voted 3-1 to require Ameren Missouri to refund to customers $26.3 million or most of the profits from power sales with two utilities in 2009/2010. The MPSC ordered refund is supposedly being applied by adjusting a fuel charge that customers are now paying. Does anyone know what and how the fuel charge is determined? Ameren has not as far as I can ascertain, made this MPSC ruling knowledgeable to their customers. How and when are they going to advise folks about the refund mechanics. Trust Ameren, absolutely not.
Ameren's new energy program. I'm confused. They say they want us to save on energy usage, but when I reduce my monthly usage, I find my rate per unit increases. There's no incentive to reduce usage. Sounds like talk coming out of both side of their face.