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Improvements coming to Minnesota Power’s CARE affordability program
Published October 1, 2019 Minnesota Power has received approval to overhaul its Customer Affordability Residential Electricity (CARE) Program. The CARE program helps reduce the cost of electricity for Minnesota Power’s low-income customers. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has given Minnesota Power the go-ahead to implement significant program reforms. Minnesota Power worked diligently with stakeholders for…
Fall Energy Saving Tips
Published Sepbember 30, 2019 We’ve had a pretty mild September this year, so we put off posting our fall tips for a few weeks. Why rush the cold weather in?! But now it sounds like cooler, fall weather is coming and here to stay so it’s time to start shifting our energy behavior and getting…
PUC denies Xcel’s request to purchase gas power plant
Published September 27, 2019 The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has unanimously denied Xcel’s request to purchase the Mankato Energy Center power plant. The PUC agreed with CUB that Xcel failed to show that spending $650 million was in the public interest and, crucially, that the utility was attempting to sidestep crucial regulatory processes in place…
Illinois CUB study: Low-income households are charged more than their fair share for electricity
Published September 9, 2019 Lower-income households pay more than their fair share for electricity and subsidize higher-income residential customers. That’s the conclusion of a landmark study by our sister organization to the southeast, the Illinois Citizens Utility Board. Flat electricity rates mean customers do not pay the actual cost to provide electricity At its most…
Keeping our eye on Integrated Resource Planning
September 6, 2019 It’s been two months since Xcel Energy submitted its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Over the last 60 days, CUB and several other parties have had a chance to give the plan a good once (twice, three times) over. The plan brings to light, once again, the…