A lawsuit has been filed against the Public Service Commission. Charlie Higley, Executive Director for the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin, says CUB has filed suit to block implementation of a special industrial rate discount which Wisconsin Power and Light requested, and which the state Public Service Commission granted last month.
“Essentially, industrial customers will receive a discount on their utility service for the next few years, and that discount will be paid for most likely by other customers, including residential customers,” Higley says. Higley maintains such an arrangement is prohibited by state law, and he says the PSC approval sets a bad precedent. “We’re worried that other utilities may seek similar rates in the future,” he says.
WP&L, a subsidiary of Alliant Energy, applied with the PSC last year, for permission to offer an “economic development rate,” providing certain large industrial customers with discounts on electricity service. The lawsuit was filed in Dane County Circuit court. WP&L has more than 450,000 electric service customers in Wisconsin.