The JEFFERSON FORUM will hold its monthly meeting  on         

17 October 2015    0830 AM to   1100 A M
Mountain View Diner
901 East Washington Street
Charles Town, WV 25414

Our primary topic will be to discuss the proposed rate increase as filed 14 August 2015 before the WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION by POTOMAC EDISON and MONONGAHELA POWER. The issues to discuss involve the impact of this rate increase since it follows closely upon the rate increase which took effect in April 2015. The primary reason given for this increase appears to be increased fuel costs.

Since the consuming public is given no voice before the WV Public Service Commission, save for an overworked, under funded, understaffed Consumer Advocate Office, it is not unreasonable to request that the Utility Companies offer reasonable explanations for such demands.
             
We  require civility and courtesy at THE JEFFERSON FORUM, and every effort is made to assure that every person is allowed to be heard.

Danny Lutz
MODERATOR
THE JEFFERSON FORUM

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to the Jefferson County Forum on Oct. 17. Unfortunately, since the issues you wish to discuss are pending before the WV Public Service Commission, I cordially decline your invitation.

Testimony  regarding the recovery of our fuel costs will be accepted by the Commission on Nov. 19th  & 20th at their office in Charleston. Please feel free to attend those hearings.

No date has been set for the hearing on the Vegetation Management filing.

Duke Energy announced Thursday that it will take more time to review public comments and consider alternatives to its proposed Foothills Transmission Line.

Duke Energy announced it would not release its preferred route for planned transmission lines in early October as it had planned, saying it needs more time to consider input from the public as well as possible alternatives.

"More time is needed to continue to carefully consider more than 9,000 comments received on the proposed transmission line and create a solution to deliver cleaner, reliable power to Western Carolinas," Duke officials said in a news release. "The company is looking at all options that can meet the region's power demand over the next 10 to 15 years — including possible alternatives to the transmission line, Campobello substation and the configuration of the proposed Asheville natural gas power plant."

Possible alternatives include the reconfiguration of the planned gas plant at the Asheville site.

Configuring the gas plant in different ways could change the related transmission needs, he said. Federal regulations require enough capacity in the system to compensate for the largest generation unit going offline, and if the plans for the gas plant call for a smaller unit, the transmission capacity needed could be lessened.

Duke is looking at different substation options as well, leveraging existing transmission infrastructure and other options, he said, but there is still a chance that the plan could stay the same. Other, smaller transmission upgrades that are already planned will continue, he added.

The company still plans to replace the Asheville coal plant with a natural-gas-burning plant, Williams said. "We're not suggesting the need is not there; it very much is there."

Dominion contends that the technology doesn't exist to run a reliable line of the caliber and kind needed under 4 miles of riverbed - at least not without a price tag in the billions.

Curtis said the Skiffes over-the-river plan, at $60 million, is indeed on the lower cost end of the dozens of routes and options the company considered. Whatever the expense, though, customers will reimburse Dominion. Rate hikes are automatically allowed for utilities that build infrastructure to strengthen the grid.

"So these are rate-payer dollars, not Dominion dollars," Curtis said. "But the opposition is still committed to the conspiracy theory."

"What's frustrating is that people think we're being disingenuous," Curtis said. "They don't believe we've looked at all the alternatives, or they think we're only concerned about making the most money for our shareholders."

Several lines already feed outside power to the Peninsula, but it won't be enough without the Yorktown plant, which Dominion says is too costly to upgrade in the face of new federal clean-air standards.

As a general proposition, the cases that are discussed above suggest that when utilities are seeking selection or CPCN approvals from governmental entities, the utilities should rely on the established governmental approval processes to persuade the officials and not indulge in collateral efforts such as public education, outreach, and advertising activities.  If a utility should rely on  these collateral activities while pursuing selection or CPCN processes, then it will risk the chance that these costs may not be recovered from ratepayers.  If the selection or CPCN application has merit, the governmental selection process provides a sufficient vehicle for the utilities to present their engineering, marketing and economic studies and thereby hope to merit the vote of approval from these officials.  In this regard the PATH Companies spent over $8 million on attorney fees to prosecute the CPCNs before the respective governmental bodies, which begs the need for these collateral expenses.