Looks like Gov. Scott Walker’s Public Service Commission wants to stick it to Wisconsin energy consumers in the name of higher profits for WE Energies.
We Energies customers will pay a larger fixed charge on their monthly electric bills, and the utility will pay less for the power that customers generate with solar panels, state regulators decided Friday.
The increase in the fixed charge from about $9 to $16 a month was justified, the Public Service Commission decided in a 2-to-1 vote.
The decision, which will be finalized next month, came as the three PSC commissioners met in Madison to decide the Milwaukee utility’s request to raise rates in January.
The preliminary bottom line for residential customers: a 1.8% increase in bills on average, though bills will rise more for customers who use less energy, PSC spokesman Nathan Conrad said. Bills will go up by another 0.8% in 2016.
It’s important to keep in mind the fee increase approved by Scott Walker’s PSC for WE Energies comes at a time when that company had $546 million in net income in 2012 and $577 million in net income in 2013 – an all-time high for the company, no less. The fact that a company enjoying record profits was given a healthy rate increase just underscores the fact that under Gov. Scott Walker Wisconsin’s government is working hard to line the already bursting at the seams pockets of big businesses at the expense of ordinary citizens.
It sure did not take long after the election for this to happen.
It does not say but I bet the two votes in favor of this price increase are Walker appointees.