(The Center Square) – Neither side of Wisconsin’s political spectrum is happy with the latest pitch from the state’s largest utility to hike power bills.
We Energies this week submitted a plan to the state’s Public Service Commission to raise electricity rates by 14% over two years.
“Our filing reflects the realities that our customers count on us every day for the energy they need. We recognize it’s our responsibility to continue providing safe and reliable energy while keeping customer bills low,” We Energies spokesman Brendan Conway said.
We Energies wants regulators to approve a 9.25% rate increase next year, and a 5.5% rate increase the year after that. The utility says the rate hikes would add around $13 more per-month next year, and an extra $8 or $9 per-month the year after that.
We Energies said the average electric bill for homeowners is currently a little less than $143 a month.
The request brought immediate condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats.
Republican candidate for governor Tom Tiffany took to social to blast We Energies’ request.
“We Energies wants to raise your electric rates another 14%,” Tiffany wrote in a post. “This comes after the Democrat-appointed PSC under @GovEvers approved over $2 billion in rate hikes in the last five years, a whopping 71% of what utilities requested.”
Tiffany said if elected he would “appoint PSC commissioners who say NO to unreasonable rate hikes.”
Democratic frontrunner Francesca Hong used the request to once again push for her plan to create public-owned utilities in the state.
“Who would you rather have in charge of your essential services: a private company accountable to shareholders, or a public utility that answers to you?” she added on X.
Tom Content with the Citizens Utility Board in Wisconsin said We Energies is not “reading the room” with its latest rate hike request, especially as people in Wisconsin continue to struggle to make ends meet.
“Based on an initial snapshot, it looks like another double-digit increase for We Energies customers, who have already seen their bills rise much faster than inflation over the last four years,” Content told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Twenty years ago, the average We Energies electric bill was just $76 a month. If this latest request is approved, that monthly cost would be more than double that amount.
