Your Opinion: Ameren's fuel adjustment charge

Dear Editor:

Back in August the Missouri regulators announced that they adopted a lower fuel adjustment tariff. They also stated it should reduce bills for Ameren's Missouri electric customers. Note the word "should;" that does not say a definite reduction.

The Missouri Public Service Commission said the decrease will amount to about $1.97 a month. Nothing was said about how many months we should see this reduction or how the consumers can ascertain they are receiving this savings. I believe the total amount that Ameren is required to rebate, is about $26-plus million.

Ameren's customer base in Missouri is about 1.2 million customers. At $1.97 a month rebate, it should take over a year to dispense.

For those who are unaware, Ameren is free to adjust their fuel adjustment charge four times a year without MPSC approval.

So, we the customer are in a catch 22 phase. Ameren has been ordered to adjust the fuel charge, but there's nothing to stop them from raising the basic charge to offset the decrease.

Proof of my allegation is my recent invoice for electricity, in that my fuel adjustment charge for this month increased again.

Only two months out of this year that the charge did not change, but the rest of the months they have, upward.

Another item on my invoice that raises my ire is the Jefferson City, Cole County municipal charge. We, Ameren's customers are paying their business license fee thanks to our legislators and the MPSC. My invoice showed a additional $20 for items other than electricity, amazing.

I keep waiting for that date to come to see deceit cease. It's like greed, it has devoured us all.