October 25, 2023 |
Photo – Rocky Mountain Power logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
Rocky Mountain Power faces a grilling today in a court-like hearing before the Wyoming Public Service Commission over the utility’s 21.6% proposed rate hike.
The proposed increase is the biggest in over a decade. It will hit over 144,000 consumers in the Cowboy State as they deal with out-of-control inflation driven by President Joe Biden’s domestic energy policies.
Another Rocky Mountain Power electric rate hike — a one-time $50.2 million fuel cost adjustment over 12 months — was temporarily imposed on customers in July but awaits potential modifications and final approval by the commission later this year.
Combined, the average Rocky Mountain Power household would see a monthly increase of $19.94 beginning in 2024, the company estimates. Some critics claim that’s a low-ball estimate.
The Legislature began teeing up legislation this summer to curb the utility’s appetite for more revenue even as it builds more wind turbines in Wyoming to deliver energy to the Pacific Northwest.
The Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee has cued up a slate of draft legislation to protect Wyoming ratepayers from increasing utility costs. The committee will review seven draft measures when it meets Friday in Cheyenne.
The Public Service Commission hearing will take place at the board’s headquarters in the Hansen Building in Cheyenne. It will be open to the public and live-streamed with opportunities for more public comment.
The hearing is open to the public and will be livestreamed.
