Cuccinelli Talks APCO Electric Rates at Southwest Virginia Town Hall Meetings

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s two Southwest Virginia town halls in Abingdon and Rocky Mount yesterday attracted approximately 320 citizens to discuss APCO electricity rates and cap and trade’s potential effect on Southwest Virginians.The attorney general explained his role in representing citizens of Southwest Virginia in a recent rate case against APCO and how his office got the $167 million rate increase request reduced by $81 million with the State Corporation Commission accountants getting an additional $24.8 million reduction. Cuccinelli also talked about how cap and trade and other energy issues will affect future rates. He quoted an extensive study by the Heritage Foundation that projected the average household electric bill in Virginia increasing by $532 a year if the current cap and trade bills in Congress pass. He stated that it would be even more costly for APCO customers in Southwest Virginia because APCO derives about 80 percent of its electricity from burning coal, while other companies derive an average of 53 percent of their electricity from coal.He also cited a National Association of Manufacturers study which showed that in the best case scenario for coal under cap and trade, coal production would be reduced by about 72 percent by 2030, and that Virginia would lose about 50,000 jobs in manufacturing and coal production. Congressional leaders have indicated they may attempt to pass cap and trade this year in a lame duck session after the November elections. State Del. Joe Johnson D-Abingdon made the last comment for the Abingdon audience: “I’ve served in the legislature for 22 years. This is the first time ever that an attorney general has come down here to hold a town hall to hear both sides of the issue. You are willing to come and listen to people so you can do more for us, and I appreciate it.”The attorney general has been traveling around much of the state to various communities over the last several months to meet with citizens and to talk about the initiatives of his office that affect them. Abingdon and Rocky Mount are located in APCO’s service area.About 216 citizens, businesspeople, local supervisors, and area state legislators attended the Rocky Mount town hall, with about 106 attending in Abingdon earlier Thursday morning. The attorney general took questions on from the audience after his remarks.

via 9310_APCO.

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Posted by admin on Sep 7 2010. Filed under Richmond News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.