Jackson County Times

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

FPU Gets Another Rate Hike

Florida Public Service Commission approves rate hike request. By Sid Riley

Beginning in January, customers of Florida Public Utilities will once again have to dig a little deeper into their pocket books, and will be able to buy a little less for their families, due to a new rate hike which as expected, has just been approved by the Florida Public Service Commission.

This new increase will add about $20.00 per existing $130.00 in charges. Thus if your bill is currently $260.00 per month, you can expect a $40.00 increase beginning in January.

This increase was reportedly justified because of increases charged by the electrical producer, Gulf Power. Gulf Power justified the added charges because of the heavy investments they were forced to make by the EPA in new “scrubbers” which reduce carbon emissions. Thus, this change was caused by our national rush to solve the global warming problem….and it is the citizen consumers, not the utilities which end up paying for it.

Marianna City Manager, Jim Dean, used this announcement as an opportunity to encourage citizens to convert as much of their energy requirements as possible from electricity to natural gas. Gas rates have decreased while electrical charges continue to soar. The city is offering significant cash rebates to citizens who convert their water heaters, heating systems, and other appliances to energy efficient gas systems. To find out more contact Marianna City Hall at 482-4353.

1 comment:

  1. The Florida Public Service Commission is a political body that serves the utilities and no longer has a place in our government. It should be abolished.

    ReplyDelete