Mike Tony
Charleston Gazette Mail, August 16, 2024
'We barely make ends meet'
Over two dozen protesters gathered for a Thursday afternoon rally to oppose Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power rate hike moves outside Appalachian Power's downtown Charleston office.
The rally was led by West Virginians for Energy Freedom in partnership with West Virginia Citizen Action Group and People's Action, progressive advocacy organizations, and 350.org, a pro-renewable energy group. West Virginians for Energy Freedom is a coalition of individuals, nonprofit groups and businesses that champions locally owned renewable energy and efficiency technologies.
In a written public comment filed Thursday, Patricia Roush of Ravenswood, Jackson County, reported she is disabled and her husband collects Social Security benefits.
Roush wrote she pays nearly $300 for her medications some months.
"Please, we can barely make ends meet as is," Roush wrote. "I say no to an increase."
Lincoln County Schools Superintendent Frank Barnett wrote in a comment filed Thursday the proposed base rate increase would have a "profound" impact on the district's schools.
Any increase in operational costs, like a higher utility bill, would directly reduce funds available for teacher salaries and instructional materials and impede the district's ability to update technology infrastructure, Barnett warned.
"It is our belief that public utilities should consider the financial pressures faced by public institutions like ours when proposing rate hikes," Barnett wrote. "We urge you to reconsider this rate increase, as it would hinder our ability to provide the quality education that our students deserve."
Read the full article here.