By Mike Tony
Charleston Gazette-Mail
The West Virginia Public Service Commission has scheduled a public comment hearing on a West Virginia American Water double-digit rate increase proposal panned by rate-payer advocates — after the PSC’s chairman signaled support for raising custom-er bills during another hearing last week.
West Virginia American Water in May asked the PSC for a 27.9% rate hike that would increase the investor owned utility’s net annual water and wastewater revenue by $60.5 million, claiming a need to replace aging infrastructure.
The company — serving 171,785 water and 1,853 wastewater customers throughout West Virginia — asked the PSC to approve a two-step rate climb that the company said would result in an average monthly water bill increase of roughly $11 in the first step and $5 in the second.
The PSC, on Dec. 1, scheduled a public comment hearing for Monday at which it will accept comments virtually and in person at its Charleston headquarters on West Virginia American Water’s rate hike proposal, the latest in a long history of such requests from the company amid a long-term ascent in the company’s profits.
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