Monday, Aug 1 2011 3:16PM
Home energy bills will increase for Utah residents starting in August.
Many rural Utah residents, along with utility companies and environmental groups, sent letters to Utah's Public Service Commission (PSC) opposing a proposed energy rate hike settlement.
The typical Utah power user will see energy rates rise 4.7 percent per month beginning in August. The projected total increase in rates is $117 million.
Michele Beck, director of the state Office of Consumer Services, stated the fee hike is a win for consumers, as the increase could have been nearly three times higher. However, some groups and residents are upset with the proposal, saying green energy projects should have been included.
Sierra Club spokesman David Graham-Caso told the Associated Press consumers shouldn't have "to pay a significant increase for dirty, dangerous and increasingly expensive coal plants. He added the state "need[s] to look at every option to do what is best for their consumers, and that didn't happen."
Graham-Caso added the Sierra Club wants to see more renewable energy projects in development throughout the state.
The PSC will discuss the proposal further in early August, followed by a public hearing.