By Brad McElhinny
West Virginia’s Public Service Commission ordered power companies to go ahead with negotiating what it would take to acquire the Pleasants Power Station, which is set to shut down in a little more than a month.
But in an order filed Monday afternoon, commissioners left open the question of whether the power companies could institute a surcharge on ratepayers for the costs of continuing to employ workers and keep the plant operational.
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“But we are disappointed that at least by implication the Commission seems to agree that the costs and risks of the ongoing evaluation of Pleasants are too great for First Energy shareholders to bear, but are perfectly acceptable to foist upon ratepayers who have already borne nearly a quarter billion dollars in rate increases in a little over a year, including manufacturing and industry responsible for thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in payroll, tax, and other economic contributions to the state,” said Derrick Williamson, executive director of the Energy Users Group.
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