[Excerpts]

Oklahoma City religious and community leaders are raising questions about how power providers plan to recover an estimated $4.5 billion spent on fuel during February's severe winter storm.

Power providers spent so much in the wake of the storm, a customer who might normally see a $100 February bill could have seen a nearly $2,000 bill instead, with months of similar bills to follow.

Some legislators recently submitted plans to mitigate these costs over time, but leaders of the civic organization VOICE OKC want assurance the process won't pass unreasonable fuel costs on to consumers.

“If we as consumers are going to be asked to pay $4.5 billion, we deserve transparency,”

said Eric Jergensen, a VOICE member representing the Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House.

[Photo Credit: Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman]

Oklahoma Civic Group Seeks Answers About $4.5 Billion in Storm-Related Fuel Costs, The Oklahoman [pdf]

Some Oklahomans Concerned Over Proposed Plan to Pay Off $4.5 Billion Utility Bills from February Storm, KFOR [pdf]

Advocates Call For Transparent Investigations Into Cost Spikes, The Norman Transcript [pdf]

 

Arguing that "the scope and price tag of this particular deal make it different than other day-to-day decisions," COPS / Metro Alliance leaders descended on City Hall to protest the speed and nature of the proposed $3.4 Billion contract that would pipe in 16 billion gallons of water into the city, and raise prices by 16%.

Specifically leaders asked for attentiveness to the pricing scheme for lower income utility users. "With those big rate increases we think those at the bottom of the income scale should be helped," said COPS METRO Alliance leader Mike Phillips. "If somebody were to go of out their tier they would immediately be hit with the first level tier payments. We want to see the payment tiers reworked."

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