BHP Rate Hike Starting
Local News
by
Brittany Scheck and Adam Uhernik
last edited on
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The BHP rate hike will start in April on an interim basis adding about $13 a month for the average household.
The hike is to cover costs of the startup of a generating plant in Wyoming.
The utilities commission voted on the increase last night. However, they have yet to approve the 26.6 percent rate increase that was requested last September.
Vice president of operations at Black Hills Power, Chuck Loomis says the power created from the Wyoming plant will be delivered to different locations including customers in the Black Hills, and he says the increase is necessary.
Loomis says, "We understand any increase is tough for customers and especially at this time with a decline in the economy. This is just the second increase in base rates for Black Hills Power customers since 1995."
One public utilities commissioner says it's a catch twenty two, commissioner Dusty Johnson says they could have gone with a temporary 20 percent increase or 26 percent increase so they went with the lower of the two.
News Center 1 asked fans about the hike on our Facebook page.
Mary Bowman says “that is just too much.”
Cheryl Maunders comments, “I really can't say that I'm surprised they were gonna do it one way or the other.”
What do you think about the rate increase?
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