SALT LAKE CITY — Rocky Mountain Power confirmed to FOX 13 News it intends to appeal a decision by the Public Service Commission denying it a bigger electricity rate hike than the company got.
The decision came hours after the chair of the Public Service Commission, which regulates utility rates in the state, explained his rationale in a hearing before the Utah State Legislature's Interim Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee.
"It was both unprecedented in scope and in the requested increase," said Commission Chair Jerry Fenn.
Rocky Mountain Power originally sought a 30% rate hike for customers, triggering widespread outrage. The utility then lowered it to around 18%. In its decision last month, the Public Service Commission granted a 4.7% increase. That amounts to $4.31 more per month for the average single family home electricity customer.
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"We thought it was unreasonable to expect Rocky Mountain Power ratepayers in Utah to pay higher rates," Fenn told lawmakers.
Rocky Mountain Power justified the significant rate increase citing infrastructure demands, fuel costs, and wildfire liability risks. Their request infuriated political leaders on Utah's Capitol Hill, who demanded the utility's parent company, Pacificorp, back off. House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, went so far as to threaten to break up the company.
On Wednesday, lawmakers on the public utilities committee praised Fenn and his fellow commissioners for their decisions.
"I think you have looked out for the citizens of the state in the way you deliberated this rate case," said Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield. "Rocky Mountain Power might not feel that way."
Fenn noted that the Public Service Commission received thousands of public comments protesting the proposed rate hike. Opponents ranged from people living on fixed incomes objecting to such a steep increase to climate change action groups angry over Rocky Mountain Power's continued investment in fossil fuels.
"It feels outlandish and outrageous because a lot of the rate hike they’ve been asking for are based on decisions they are making as a utility company and where they want to get their resources from," Luis Miranda with the Sierra Club of Utah told FOX 13 News. "A lot of it is doubling down on coal, which is really expensive."
Critics of the rate hike also said Wednesday they would be opposing Rocky Mountain Power's appeal.
"I feel they very much were impacted and they very much listened to what people were saying about these rate increases," said Joan Entwistle, who submitted a public comment against the rate increase proposal. "I don’t think people are going to be fooled this is it."
