Public Hearings Scheduled in the Upstate On Duke Energy’s Proposed Fee Hike
Groups encourage customers to attend the hearings and speak out against the unjust fee hike
Contact: Chris Carnevale, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, [email protected] , 843-225-2371
Holley Ulbrich, League of Women Voters of South Carolina, [email protected], 864-508-4851
Patrick Cobb, AARP South Carolina, [email protected], 803-261-0304
Adam Winer, Consumer Reports, [email protected], 202-462-6262 x 7444
Three public hearings have been scheduled in the Upstate on the topic of Duke Energy’s proposed fee hike. Before going into effect, the fee hike must be approved by the S.C. Public Service Commission, which has scheduled the hearings throughout Duke Energy’s service territory in order to hear from customers.
A coalition of public interest groups, including the League of Women Voters of South Carolina, Consumer Reports, AARP South Carolina, and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, encourage Duke Energy customers to attend the hearings and speak up about how the fee hike would negatively impact them.
Background: Duke Energy has proposed tripling the hidden mandatory fee on its customers’ bills—from about $8-$9 per month to $28-$29 per month. Since this “Basic Facilities Charge” must be paid each month, no matter how much or how little electricity is used, customers would have to pay at least $336 per year before even flipping on a light switch. If approved, this would be one of the highest mandatory monthly fees for residential customers of any investor-owned utility in the nation, and would place a particularly heavy burden upon low-usage customers including low-income families, seniors, and those using solar energy or energy efficiency/conservation.
To learn more about the proposed fee hike, please visit https://cleanenergy.org/blog/duke-energy-wants-you-to-pay-more-for-using-less-energy/
Details: Details on the public hearings are as follows:
Spartanburg Hearing
Tuesday, March 12
6:00 pm
Spartanburg County Council Chambers, Spartanburg County Administration Building
366 N Church Street, Main Level, Suite 1000,
Spartanburg, SC 29303
Anderson Hearing
Wednesday, March 13
6:00 pm
Anderson County Council Chambers
101 S Main Street,
Anderson, SC 29624
Greenville Hearing
Thursday, March 14
6:00 pm
Greenville County Council Chambers
301 University Ridge, Suite 2400, Greenville, SC 29601
Additional information on the public hearings can be found on the S.C. Public Service Commission’s website: https://dms.psc.sc.gov/Attachments/Matter/33d76414-2e54-4cfa-94c3-9c293e925fca
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Since 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy has worked to promote responsible energy choices to ensure clean, safe and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. http://www.cleanenergy.org
The League of Women Voters of South Carolina is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to making democracy work and encouraging informed citizen participation in government.
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit member organization that works side by side with consumers for truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace. For more than 80 years, our research, journalism and media, and advocacy have led to safer products and fairer market practices. The advocacy division of CR directs our efforts to secure strong pro-consumer policies and practices in government and across industries. http://consumerreports.org/advocacy
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation’s largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit http://www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.