Rocky Mountain Power has agreed to a two-part settlement in a pending rate case, a pact that will increase the typical Utahns’ monthly electricity bill by about $4.55 a month starting in mid-October, followed by another $2.48 cent hike in fall 2013.
The agreement —which also bars the public utility from seeking another rate increase before January 2014 —has the support of consumer advocates, the state’s Division of Public Utilities and many of the state’s large industrial energy users.
The Utah Public Service Commission is expected to schedule a hearing later this month to consider whether the settlement is in the public interest and should be approved.
Michele Beck, director of the state’s Office of Consumer Services, acknowledged the settlement appeared to give the regional utility company most of what it wanted. But, she explained, the settlement also benefits ratepayers by keeping rates down well into the future.
Beck said the utility also gave up its demand that Utah customers help pay for the cost of removing a dam on the Oregon- California border, a plan with would have cost Utah ratepayers $7.4 million annually for the next 10 years. Salt Lake Tribune
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