PUC Approval of PG&E Interim Request Sends Bills Higher — Once Again

Source: Silicon Valley  |  By George Avalos

PG&E has won approval for a plan that will shove monthly utility bills higher — yet again — starting in April, a decision a consumer advocacy group is blasting as a “rubber stamp” by state regulators.  The state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved PG&E’s plans for higher monthly bills — known officially as an interim rate request — as part of a consent calendar packed with 54 items.

“The PUC rubber-stamped PG&E’s interim rate request,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN. Toney, with TURN, was disappointed the state PUC approved the interim increase in rates, leading to yet another jump in monthly costs, through a mass endorsement by the commissioners of the consent agenda. “Ratepayers deserve an explanation from the five commissioners,” Toney said, “about why they approved this.”