Posted
by Lauren Gores
on Sat Feb 6, 2010
Last updated
Feb 6, 2010
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is speaking up about what they call an "unfair gap" in electric rates between residents and large industrial consumers of AmerenUE.
The Missouri State Conference of the NAACP voted Saturday to urge the Public Service Commission (PSC) to stop raising electric rates for residents while lowering them for industrial consumers. The concerns stem from a December meeting where AmerenUE proposed an 18 percent rate increase.
In response to the potential rate increase, a special-interest group gave a 55-page testimony to the PSC on Wednesday asking for lower electric rates because they buy in bulk. One proposal the testimony cites would spike residential rates by 13.3 percent, while the rates for the largest industrial customer would take a 15.5 percent cut.
"This represent an unfair and unjust system... to have our residents bare the burden of paying more than the wealthiest industrial customers," said Harold Crumpton, who led Saturday's conference.
The industrial companies back their requests by saying they use significantly more electricity, and therefore should pay lower rates.
"Since industrial customers generally have higher load factors than residential or commercial customers, they are less costly to serve on a per-kWh bases," the testimony reads.
NAACP officials tell ABC 17 News the PSC will hear multiple testimonies before making changes to electric rates.
