A public hearing on the most recent electricity rate hike request from Rocky Mountain Power takes place Thursday, June 2nd, in Casper.

The Public Service Commission hosts this opportunity to ask questions and make comments.

Rocky Mountain Power's original request was for 98 million. That's been scaled back to about 80-million dollars. The hike could boost residential customer bills by 12 dollars a month. Despite the scale back, Tim Summers, with A-A-R-P Wyoming, says it’s still potentially the largest utility rate hike in state history and comes less than a year after the utility company filed a 71-million dollar rate hike request.

"Several electricity consumer groups jumped in, including AARP, we fought back and we were able to cut the rate hike in half. Well, fast-forward a few months - here we are again."

Summers says households and small businesses would be charged the most in this rate hike, and with a poor economy and static incomes, the timing is wrong.

"One of our biggest concerns is this just keeps coming year after year. We need to keep in mind that a great deal of Wyoming’s population, especially in this service territory, is over the age of 65."

Rocky Mountain Power says the rate hike is needed to keep up with rising energy costs, but Summers says, while utility companies are entitled to generate profits, this request goes too far. The Public hearing takes place Thursday 3 to 7pm at Casper City Hall.

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