The Alaska Regulatory Commission, which oversees the state's electric utilities, I refused An advocacy group's request for usage data on tens of thousands of individual customers of the Chugach Electric Association, an Anchorage-based cooperative.
Renewable Energy Alaska Projector REAP is asked the committee The move is to force Chugach to submit data as part of a review of the utility's recent rate increase proposals. REAP said it needed information to propose alternative new pricing structures to utilities. The purpose is to conserve natural gas supplies during the recession. impending shortage.
Chugach and many other power companies had opposed the request, saying it would be labor-intensive and an invasion of customer privacy.Conservative advocacy groups and media outlets sympathetic to the oil and gas industry Also raised alarm Regarding the possibility of data disclosure.
In this week's decision, Nolan Oliver, an administrative law judge appointed by the commission, said: REAP request denied. In a four-paragraph analysis, Oliver said the group “has not sufficiently articulated the benefits of its rate design over the alternatives.”
Oliver said the “burden and expense” of creating the data would outweigh its benefits, citing Chugach's claim that creating the data would require thousands of dollars and more than 100 hours of employee time. .
Chris Rose, executive director of REAP, said in an email that his group rejects this decision and what he calls “justified requests to deny requests for data essential to developing rate designs that promote conservation.” “We are disappointed that we are unable to provide a legal reason.” Natural gas use required by state law. ”
“With natural gas shortages looming in Cook Inlet, REAP will continue to work in the public interest to preserve the region's rapidly dwindling local gas supplies,” Rose wrote. “We hope Chugach Electric will work with us to find a way to do that.”
Nathaniel Herz welcomes tips at [email protected] or (907) 793-0312. This article was originally published Published in Herz's newsletter, Northern Journal.Subscribe here Link.