Latest news with #PSC
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hearing set for Appalachian Power's 16 percent rate increase
bluefield — Area residents will have an opportunity next month to sound off on a 16 percent rate increase being sought by Appalachian Power. The West Virginia Public Service Commission has set an evidentiary hearing for June 17 on the $250.5 million rate increase filing by Appalachian Power Company. If approved area residents would see their electric bills increase by approximately $27 a month. The PSC announced Thursday that both a virtual and in person public hearing will be held at the PSC headquarters, which is located at 201 Brooks Street. Residents who can't travel to Charleston, and are not comfortable with participating in a virtual hearing, can also submit their comments by mail. In the past the commission would hold public hearings at different locations across the state, including in Bluefield and Princeton. However, PSC Commissioner Charlotte Lane announced in 2023 that the commission was suspending the process of holding in-person public comment hearings across the state in favor of a virtual online comment format through a Microsoft Teams online application that allows citizens to comment virtually through either their internet service or their telephone. According to the PSC statement released Thursday through Lane, the evidentiary hearing in the Appalachian Power case will begin at 9 a.m. on the morning of June 17, which will be followed by the public comment hearings at 5:30 p.m. The PSC statement said those who wish to participate in the public comment hearing should register with the commission by 4 p.m. on June 16. Registration may be completed through the Microsoft Teams meeting link at Residents can also register by calling Alexis Weimer at 304-340-0822 or Andrew Gallagher at 304-340-0820; or by emailing aweimer@ or agallagher@ Those who wish to attend the hearing in person are being asked to sign up to speak prior to 5:30 p.m. on June 17. The commission said written statements in the case may be submitted by mail or hand delivery to the Executive Secretary, P.O. Box 812, Charleston, 25323 or online at by clicking on 'Submit a Comment.' All written comments should be marked as pertaining to Case No. 24-0854-E-42T. A decision will not be made in the Appalachian Power case on June 17. It usually takes six weeks before a decision is rendered, the commission said Thursday in response to questions by the Daily Telegraph as to when the PSC will act on the case. Appalachian Power filed for a rate increase in 2024, but the state Public Service Commission dismissed it in September that year. The new rate increase case was filed by the company with the commission earlier this year. In the new filing, the request from the company to modify its base rates reflects inflation, higher material and labor costs, rising capital costs and higher interest rates, according to earlier reports from Karen E. Wissing, principal communications consultant with Appalachian Power. Wissing said additional contributing factors included the recovery of more than $118 million for major storm costs since 2019 and the cost recovery of over a billion dollars in investments made in power generating plants, the regional transmission system and distribution systems. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
The Citizen
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Gauteng CoGTA outlines plans to improve local government performance
The Gauteng Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) has shared its current focus areas, which include strengthening local municipalities, improving service delivery, and increasing transparency in the public sector. Earlier in May, MEC Jacob Mamabolo met with the Public Service Commission (PSC) commissioner Vusumuzi Mavuso to discuss governance and oversight. During the meeting, Mavuso confirmed that Parliament approved the Public Service Amendment Bill, and that it would be referred to all provinces for consideration. ALSO READ: CoGTA has stated that the Constitution and the Batho Pele principles, which promote accountability, openness, and citizen-focused service delivery, guide its approach. In 2023, the department held a Local Government Turnaround Summit attended by representatives from all 11 Gauteng municipalities, national and provincial governments, traditional leaders, and state-owned entities. The summit addressed common challenges facing municipalities and discussed potential solutions under the theme 'Building smart and resilient municipalities of the future'. CoGTA believes municipalities are key to delivering essential services such as water, electricity, and sanitation. The department has identified leadership development, skills training, and ethical governance as areas for improvement. During recent public emergencies – including the Covid-19 pandemic and floods in parts of the province – municipal workers and emergency personnel assisted in providing aid such as food parcels, water, and shelter. CoGTA says it continues to roll out training and capacity-building initiatives for municipal staff. The goal is to improve management practices and responsiveness to service delivery issues. Some municipalities in Gauteng have faced ongoing concerns from residents about infrastructure, service interruptions, and administrative backlogs. The department has not yet provided detailed timelines for when specific improvements might be visible. The Public Service Amendment Bill, if passed by all provinces, would give the PSC a broader role in monitoring performance at the municipal level. This change is expected to affect how accountability is managed across all levels of government. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NorthWestern Energy tries to exclude climate change witness as ‘expert' in rate case
The Laurel Generation Station power plant in Laurel Montana as seen in September 2023. (Aerial photography by Ed Saunders) NorthWestern Energy, the state's largest public utility, tried to stop an energy engineer who planned to testify about climate change from participating in a rate case as an expert witness. It also attempted to curtail testimony based on an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. The monopoly utility argued some of the testimony was an attempt to introduce 'inadmissible hearsay and exhibits,' such as the IPCC report. The IPCC is an international United Nations body set up to assess science related to climate with 195 members. The utility also said the energy engineer sought to offer 'improper legal opinions as a nonlawyer' and requested the Montana Public Service Commission strike that testimony. On a 3-2 vote Tuesday, the Montana Public Service Commission supported a staff recommendation to allow the engineer, with the Montana Environmental Information Center, to testify as an expert witness. But the PSC agreed he could not offer legal conclusions, as also recommended in the draft order from staff. A minority on the commission tried to block expert testimony from the witness. The order to allow the engineer to testify as an expert happened when PSC President Brad Molnar urged the commission to avoid a double standard and treat the witness fairly. The PSC is all Republican, and Molnar said if the commission determined the MEIC witness wasn't an expert, a future commission with a different political makeup could use the same rationale to disqualify witnesses for NorthWestern Energy. He also said the commission will have the ability to test the engineer's testimony. 'If there is one golden nugget in there, either substantiated by cross examination or refuted by cross examination, it has been worthy of our time,' Molnar said. Molnar also said the argument to silence the engineer was not based in fact. 'What we have is a desire to stop one person from testifying because one other moving party (NorthWestern) in this soon-to-be drama doesn't want people to hear what he has to say,' Molnar said. 'And I can't go with that.' The dispute is one small debate in another rate case filed by NorthWestern Energy and already drawing scrutiny after a 2023 settlement the PSC approved that hiked electric bills nearly 28%. Montanans have been fighting about the effects of climate change in different political arenas, including at the utility regulatory agency. The witness whom NorthWestern tried to block, Nick Fitzmaurice of the Montana Environmental Information Center, said in written pre-filed testimony the utility has 'neglected to account' for risks that climate change poses to its operations and credit. 'Corporate analysts have specifically and repeatedly noted that 'climate change' creates multiple risks for NorthWestern Energy,' Fitzmaurice said in part of his testimony. 'Moody's identified climate change as posing multiple risks to NorthWestern Energy.' Attempts to cull and curate witness testimony in cases aren't new, but the debate this week shows the pending rate case as another battleground over the role played by climate change in energy costs. In an email to the Daily Montanan, NorthWestern spokesperson Jo Dee Black said the utility was not attempting to disallow information in the case. 'This motion was made not to limit an issue or topic but to ensure the professional standards for qualification as an expert witness were upheld,' Black said. 'NorthWestern did not have any issues with this witness testifying as a lay or fact witness.' However, Anne Hedges, with the Montana Environmental Information Center, said NorthWestern admits it doesn't employ any scientific expert on climate change itself. Hedges said it's disingenuous for the utility to try to bill customers for climate impacts such as wildfire yet try to stifle the person giving testimony about climate change. 'Not having testimony means the commission can't consider climate change at all, and that is exactly what they want,' Hedges said of NorthWestern. 'So good for Brad Molnar. Good for the commission.' In its motion, NorthWestern called on the PSC to strike 'irrelevant evidence' from Fitzmaurice, energy transition engineer for the MEIC. Fitzmaurice holds a bachelor's degree in industrial management systems engineering from Montana State University and has worked in energy policy and modeling, according to his MEIC biography. The utility tried to exclude his statements about its emissions and the economic impacts of climate change in Montana, and it tried to exclude testimony from Kyle Unruh of Renewable Northwest. NorthWestern also disputed Fitzmaurice as an expert witness — experts are allowed to rely on reports, or 'hearsay' not personally experienced, to explain their opinions. NorthWestern, though, said Fitzmaurice should only be allowed to testify as a 'lay witness' — meaning he could testify only from personal experience, which would exclude testimony based on an IPCC report. Witnesses in rate cases file written testimony in advance of hearings. At the meeting this week, PSC legal counsel Lucas Hamilton said staff found some of the testimony Fitzmaurice provided to be 'impermissible legal conclusions' more appropriately submitted later on in the case. However, Hamilton said staff recommended finding Fitzmaurice's testimony relevant, contrary to NorthWestern's motion, although he said its credibility would be up to the commission to determine. Before the PSC approved the recommended order from staff, Commissioner Annie Bukacek moved to disqualify Fitzmaurice, with support from Commissioner Jennifer Fielder. Bukacek said Fitzmaurice 'has not done enough actual work' in his field, and she had yet to meet an 'expert in climatology or energy policy' who didn't have a doctorate degree. 'Standards matter in any field that provides critical information, such as energy policy,' Bukacek said. In response to a question, however, Hamilton said without a point of reference from the parties, the standard for qualifying a person as 'an expert' within the field of energy policy is discretionary. In the meantime, he said, the Montana rules of evidence call for a liberal interpretation of who is an expert — and allow an expert's testimony to be scrutinized. PSC staff attorney Amanda Webster said if the PSC deemed Fitzmaurice a 'lay witness' as opposed to an expert, it would 'effectively preclude him' from testifying altogether. 'There wouldn't be much left of his testimony,' Webster said. The move to oust Fitzmaurice from the list of experts failed, with only Bukacek and Fielder in support. Commissioners Randy Pinocci and Jeff Welborn supported Molnar's move to adopt the draft order prepared by staff. Pinocci said he didn't want a disqualification by the PSC to lead to a costly lawsuit alleging the commission had drawn an improper conclusion about an expert. Unruh, with Renewable NorthWest, declined to comment beyond his written testimony. The order from the PSC denied NorthWestern's move to strike his remarks. Relying in part on an IPCC report, Unruh argues NorthWestern is putting Montana ratepayers at 'substantial economic risk' and 'regulatory risk' by ignoring the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. But Hedges, with the MEIC, said NorthWestern Energy has become more bullish, and the rate case is demonstrating 'their new aggressive position toward the commission and toward customers.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dem candidate for Georgia Public Service Commission challenges disqualification
A Fulton County Superior Court hearing is scheduled for June 10 on Georgia Public Service Commission candidate Daniel Blackman's appealing a ruling disqualifying him from the Democratic Primary of June 17. Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder (file) A Georgia Public Service Commission candidate will remain on the Democratic primary ballot after appealing a decision this week disqualifying him from the race for failing to meet residency requirements. A Fulton County Superior Court hearing is scheduled for June 10 when Chief Judge Ural Glanville will hear arguments on PSC candidate Daniel Blackman's appeal. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had affirmed a state court judge's ruling that Blackman was unable to provide evidence that a Fulton County property is his primary domicile. Blackman is a candidate for District 3, which includes Clayton, DeKalb, and Fulton counties. Commissioners are elected statewide but must be residents of a given district for at least 12 months. Blackman served as the Environmental Protection Agency's Southeast regional administrator under the Biden administration, and he's a former PSC candidate who came close to winning a seat on the commission back in 2020. Blackman's lawyer, Matthew Wilson, said Blackman's name will remain on ballots after Glanville granted an injunction Thursday. 'Once we're given the opportunity for a fair hearing, I'm confident that Daniel will prevail because all of the facts and all of the law are on his side,' Wilson said Friday. The complaint against Blackman was filed by Atlanta resident Rodney Stephens, who currently resides in a home previously owned by another Democratic candidate, Keisha Waites, according to online county property records. Stephens and Waites declined to comment about the residency challenge. The residency dispute involves a one-bedroom dwelling in Atlanta that Blackman leased on Oct. 4, 2024. Blackman testified that he purchased the property to live closer to work while his wife and children continued to reside in their Forsyth County home north of Atlanta, according to the 12-page ruling. The state court judge wrote that Blackman failed to provide evidence that he actually lived in the home, such as utility bills or mail being delivered to the Atlanta address. Early voting for two PSC seats began Tuesday with Blackman's name on ballots statewide. If Blackman's ban is permanent, notices will be placed in polling places advising voters of his disqualification and votes cast for him will not be counted, Raffensperger's office said. Election Day is June 17. Three other Democrats appear on the District 3 PSC ballot: Waites, a former Atlanta City Council member and ex-state representative; Peter Hubbard, founder of the clean nonprofit Center for Energy Solutions, and Robert Jones, a former utility executive. The winner will face GOP incumbent Fitz Johnson in the Nov. 4 general election. Johnson was appointed to the seat by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2021. Jones said Friday he would like to see an expedited final decision in the Blackman case so candidates can focus solely on their own campaigns without having to deal with the distraction. 'The appeal filed Wednesday was another surprise in a race that has had too many,' Jones said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Gauteng CoGTA targets better performance in local government
The Gauteng Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) has shared its current focus areas, which include strengthening local municipalities, improving service delivery, and increasing transparency in the public sector. Earlier in May, MEC Jacob Mamabolo met with the Public Service Commission (PSC) commissioner Vusumuzi Mavuso to discuss governance and oversight. During the meeting, Mavuso confirmed that Parliament approved the Public Service Amendment Bill, and that it would be referred to all provinces for consideration. ALSO READ: City of Ekurhuleni warns residents of fake electricity token scam CoGTA has stated that the Constitution and the Batho Pele principles, which promote accountability, openness, and citizen-focused service delivery, guide its approach. In 2023, the department held a Local Government Turnaround Summit attended by representatives from all 11 Gauteng municipalities, national and provincial governments, traditional leaders, and state-owned entities. The summit addressed common challenges facing municipalities and discussed potential solutions under the theme 'Building smart and resilient municipalities of the future'. CoGTA believes municipalities are key to delivering essential services such as water, electricity, and sanitation. The department has identified leadership development, skills training, and ethical governance as areas for improvement. During recent public emergencies – including the Covid-19 pandemic and floods in parts of the province – municipal workers and emergency personnel assisted in providing aid such as food parcels, water, and shelter. CoGTA says it continues to roll out training and capacity-building initiatives for municipal staff. The goal is to improve management practices and responsiveness to service delivery issues. Some municipalities in Gauteng have faced ongoing concerns from residents about infrastructure, service interruptions, and administrative backlogs. ALSO READ: City of Ekurhuleni empowers artists with social media masterclass The department has not yet provided detailed timelines for when specific improvements might be visible. The Public Service Amendment Bill, if passed by all provinces, would give the PSC a broader role in monitoring performance at the municipal level. This change is expected to affect how accountability is managed across all levels of government. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
