PR-10-146 -- Parties Directed To Address Concerns Raised By AmerenUE Low-Income Residential Customers

Contact: Kevin Kelly (573) 751-9300

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- FEBRUARY 11, 2010

JEFFERSON CITY---Over the past six weeks, the Missouri Public Service Commission has conducted 17 local public hearings throughout the AmerenUE service territory to receive customer comment on the electric rate case AmerenUE currently has before the PSC. 

“Over 2,000 people have attended the local public hearings held across the state and many have testified before commissioners that any rate increase would further impact an already heavy financial burden for low-income residential customers of AmerenUE,” said PSC Commissioner Kevin Gunn.

The Public Service Commission wants to hear from parties in the electric rate case about ideas for reducing the financial burden on low-income residential customers while providing for a fair and adequate return to AmerenUE.  As a result, the Commission has directed the parties to file additional testimony regarding the needs of AmerenUE’s low-income residential customers.

In addition to methods traditionally used to assist low-income customers, the Commission has asked the parties to address the feasibility of establishing an experimental “very low-income” customer class that would be based upon the federal poverty level.

The Commission is seeking testimony from the parties that: 1) analyze the practicality of establishing such a class, including the effect on revenues and costs, 2) propose guidelines for inclusion in such a class, 3) propose verification procedures for participants in such a class, 4) analyze the possible effect on the company’s bad debt expense of such a class, and 5) state an opinion as to whether such a class should be tied to the current industrial rate class or propose an alternate rate.  

Testimony addressing this issue can be filed as either additional direct testimony by February 19, 2010; or as rebuttal testimony no later than February 26, 2010; or as surrebuttal testimony which must be filed by March 5, 2010.

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Case No. ER-2010-0036