Quote:
Originally Posted by ksa8907
They are regulated. All must file a rate case which, if approved, allows them to recoup expenses they already spent. Utilities can't just charge whatever they want.
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This isn't entirely accurate, our area for example was mostly hydro powered through the 80's. Our energy usage due to the reduction in the number of corporate interests is actually not significantly different than it was in the 1980s.
We had Weston I & II to make up the slack that hydro did not provide historically.
In the 2000's we ended up with Weston III & IV which were built solely to provide power for other areas such as northern MN & Canada, ZERO percent of the energy produced at these new non-pollution controlled plants is used locally. It also created a "power line" boondoggle as they tried to take northern WI properties for the line (remember that)
In conjuction with this we have been moving to eliminate hydro, moving us further onto coal, though there are wind projects cropping up.
The result of these projects is that our electricity cost per KWHR (residential) has doubled (its still not super high like other areas), our fees have gone up triple (depending on which years we compare) and we get to have far more pollution warnings.
In other words our local energy provider has found a way to increase revenue because we are required to pay for new projects, while at the same time providing zero local benefit. (a couple hundred jobs isn't much in the bucket)
They are now stating that if they have to install scrubbers on 3 & 4 our cost per KWHR will have to go up further to cover their ignorance during the bush years where they could just pay a small fine to pollute.
Ah well.