Attempt to halt electric rate increase

Legislation is now before Congress from U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congressmen Dan Benishek and Gary Peters to halt a massive electric rate increase in the Upper Peninsula. The three lawmakers are attempting to require additional oversight by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to allow FERC to prevent the 100-million dollar rate increase. Customers in the U.P. would be forced to pay 99-percent of the operating costs for the Presque Isle Power Plant in Marquette under a ruling made by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. That organization overturned an FERC ruling that had stated U.P. customers should only be responsible for 14-percent of the operating costs because the facility also supplies electricity to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Last month, Stabenow and Benishek called for a moratorium on NAERC’s decision, and asked FERC to consider the Michigan Public Service Commission’s complaint that the resulting rate increases for people in the UP are not just and reasonable. Earlier this week, FERC announced it would delay the UP rate increases that were previously expected to begin on December 1 in order to further investigate the problem.  (MRN)