GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A proposal by Wisconsin Public Service to raise residential electric and natural gas rates by about 14% will be reviewed Tuesday by state regulators.
WPS spokesman Matt Cullen provided a statement:
Our customers count on us every day for the energy they need. We recognize our responsibility to continue providing safe, reliable energy while keeping customer bills as low as possible. Our rate filing reflects that,” he said. “Our request includes $132 million in savings from federal tax credits and earnings sharing. And we are making critical reliability investments in tree trimming, burying power lines and replacing aging equipment. These investments reduce outages, improve outage restoration and minimize emergency repairs.
The Citizens Utility Board is opposed to the increases.
“We have been hearing in polls and on the campaign trail this year about how concerned Wisconsinites are about their home energy costs climbing faster than inflation,” said Tom Content, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board. “Now is the time to tell that to the people who matter – the state regulators overseeing the monopoly utilities.”
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin will hold hearings at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday. People can either attend in person at the Neville Public Museum, or join online.
Cullen also noted help is available for those having issues paying:
“We encourage any customer with concerns about their bill to contact us right away. We offer access to energy efficiency rebates and programs to help reduce energy use and costs. We offer budget billing so customers know exactly what their bill will be each month. And we can connect customers to comprehensive assistance programs that help provide monthly bill credits,” he said.
Comments