Gas increase gives consumers bellyache

$15 million a year? I could live on that. So could many of Dominion East Ohio Gas Company customers.

By giving that salary figure for the Dominion chair, Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s aide set the mood for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) hearings on the company’s rate increase request. When the crowd of about 200 mostly silver-haired men and women heard that number, they were ready to shoot first and ask questions later.

Tim Walters, a community organizer at the May Dugan Center in Ohio City, works with low-income people. At what point, he asked, does the PUCO represent the consumer? Dominion supposedly has seen profits drop because customers have been winterizing and reducing consumption. Winterizing is expensive, people have cold homes, and still the bills rise. If the service charge is tripled, will we receive three times as much service?

Our organization, Walters said, supports people in finding money for winterization and heat bills. “If this increase goes forward, we think it’ll cost consumers over $200 a year more and it’ll wipe out the money from HEAP (Ohio Home Energy Assistance Program).”

Stephen Wertheim, of 211, First Call for Help, said their 24/7 health and human services line logged 9,700 calls two years ago and 17,000 last year for utility-related help, a 74 percent increase over two years ago. He said the organization helped 1,579 seniors aged 60 and above with utility bills. Some $2.5 million went into home energy assistance in Cuyahoga County last year. The Ohio Dept of Development, which provides the money, has said there may be less than $1.5 million this year.

Senior citizen (self-described) Mary Ryan said she kept her heat at 60 degrees and lower when she left the house. “I don’t think I should have to pay so much for so little heat.”

“This increase doesn’t hurt you $150,000 a year guys, but it hurts the people out here [in the audience],” Joe Turek declared to hearty applause.

Denise added, “What can I give you? I’d give you my son, but he just got back from Afghanistan. We’ve given enough!”

“I’m preparing to open a restaurant. It’s not open yet, and we’re only paying to heat water. Even so, we still have a bill of over $100 a month,” complained Tim of Maple Heights.

An Aurora man chimed in, “Automated meter readers should be saving the company money. If not, keep the human readers until the cost gets to the point it’d save money.”
“We had to go green,” Ralph of Garfield Heights noted. “My reward for conserving -- $8,000 in improvements – is a 36 percent increase in this request. Those who use more should pay more.”

The increase is inherently unfair, protested Mark of South Euclid. “This is Robin Hood in reverse. We’ll be penalized for putting in new windows, insulating, etc. Hard work should be rewarded. This flies in the face of what I’ve learned about life.”

Garfield Heights native Gary Smith wasn’t having any of the “negative returns” argument. “Everyone has to make a profit, but there is a difference when it comes to gouging. $15 million in salary is gouging!”

“A for-profit company shouldn’t be supplying our utilities. Utilities should be owned by the people,” insisted Jim, pointing to Dominion’s full-page Plain Dealer “propaganda” (advertisement about the rate increase) as waste.

Here’s the problem, John said. “Four of five of the PUCO officials were put there by Gov. Taft” [actually three of them were], while a fellow North Olmsted resident pointed to the American 39 to 1 ratio of executive to worker pay.

If you haven’t put in your 2 cents yet, you can send your comments to: Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Attn: Docketing Division, Case Number” 07-0829-GA-AIR, 180 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215.