SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Rocky Mountain Power says it is affected by a poor economy and can't continue to provide service at the present level at the present rates.
Company spokesman David Eskelsen says, "If we have to manage at the budget the commission has allowed, we then have to manage the other side."
So, in two weeks, you may see some noticeable changes.
Rocky Mountain says it will:
1. Curtail the use of contractors
2. Limit restoring power to cases in which someone's safety is threatened
3. Seek to slash its property taxes
4. Eliminate some maintenance
5. Stop paying for renewable energy and clean coal research as well as economic development...
6. Review corporate philanthropy
7. Consider cutting back on service when costs are too high.
Eskelsen says, “We have to manage to the budget that we're given.”
Rocky Mountain Power says it asked for a 5.6 percent rate request from the Utah Public Services Commission but was granted an increase of only 2.7 percent.
But the numbers are a little different according to the public service commission.
When announcing the rate increase, they claimed Rocky Mountain had initially requested an increase of more than eleven percent.
What they got, was a little less than two and a half percent.
Regardless, rates will go up and service may go down.
Eskelsen says, “They're not measures that we prefer to take, but the commission's order was very clear and we take our instruction that the energy policy of Utah is to keep rates low.”
Rocky Mountain also is implementing a hiring freeze on positions it claims are dedicated to serving customers in Utah. It's also taking legal action to challenge the commission's rate decision.
