Hearing held on proposed electricity rate hike
Robert Stetor of Eighty Four is sworn in by administrative law Judge Jeffrey Watson before addressing a Public Utility Commission hearing Thursday afternoon at American Legion Post 175 on Park Avenue in North Franklin Township. Shown in the background are, from left, Barbara Heinlein, Commonwealth Court reporter; Watson; and Tori L. Giesler, attorney for First Energy.
Jim Dickson Jr. of Eighty Four addresses administrative law Judge Jeffrey Watson and others as the Public Utility Commission conducted a hearing Thursday afternoon before a sparse crowd at American Legion Post 175 on Park Avenue in North Franklin Township.
The wisdom of smart meters and electricity rate increase requests was questioned Thursday afternoon in Washington.
“We feel that a rate increase is an unfair burden for our taxpayers and all of Washington County, especially with a countywide tax reassessment,” said Laura Hough, a West Pike Run Township supervisor.
She was one of six Washington County residents to testify on the record during a public input hearing conducted by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. It unfolded at American Legion Post 175, off Park Avenue.
Testimony gathered at all statewide hearings will be considered before a decision on the rate requests is made early next year.
Four subsidiaries of Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Corp. are seeking distribution rate increases for customers in Pennsylvania. West Penn Power, which serves Southwestern Pennsylvania – including all of Washington and Greene counties – is requesting an 8.5 percent increase, which would generate $115.5 million.
The other suppliers, and percentages of their rate increase requests, are: Penelec (8.6), Penn Power (8.7) and Met-Ed (11.5).
West Penn serves all who testified Thursday afternoon. State Rep. Pam Snyder said in a news release before the hearing that if West Penn’s request is granted, the average residential customer’s monthly bill would rise from $92.47 to $106.09.
PUC administrative law judge Jeffrey Watson presided over the Washington hearing, which attracted an audience of 18.
He kicked off proceedings by advising speakers they had two options: testify under oath and be subject to cross-examination from three attorneys – one each from FirstEnergy, the PUC and the state Office of the Consumer Advocate – or speak off-the-record without cross-examination. Watson said anyone who testified could speak with counsel following the hearing.
In her testimony, Hough expressed concern about her region, which she said is not well-to-do and is facing a possible county tax increase, potential higher health costs under the Affordable Care Act and increasingly rising food prices.
“We could be seeing more people go into poverty,” she said.
Vincent Evans, a financial adviser from Canonsburg, opposes the prospect of an increase “in what has been a slack economy for a number of years and is likely to be that way” for perhaps a few more years.
“I see no pressures to justify a rate increase at this time,” he added.
Jim Dixon Jr. of Eighty Four protested what he already is paying for electricity, and is concerned about what may be ahead.
“There’s a lot of loose money there,” he said, holding up a copy of one monthly bill. “I feel there’s no need to raise rates.
Smart meters received a large measure of grief. They are electronic devices that record electricity consumption in intervals of an hour or less, then send information to the utility for monitoring and billing.
A Nottingham Township couple, Elaine and Robert Stetor, were among those who said they have been charged for a smart meter despite not having one.
“We’re paying for something we don’t have and don’t want,” Elaine said. “And where is the money going and how much is in the fund?”
Larry Kelley of North Strabane Township asked, simply, “Do we have any smart meters that are working?”
Snyder, D-Jefferson, is opposed to the proposed increases. She said in her prepared statement:
“The area has been plagued by extended power outages due to insufficient line maintenance by FirstEnergy and on-gound personnel. How much more can this company do to squeeze the hard-working homeowners and business owners in Western Pennsylvania.”
This was the fourth of seven such PUC hearings statewide. The fifth was scheduled for Thursday night in Uniontown, with the final two next week in Reading and East Stroudsburg.