In the News
Watchdogs: Natural Gas Customers in MN Not Getting Fair Shake
July 11, 2022 Public News Service Mike Moen In the near future, Minnesota regulators will decide whether companies such as CenterPoint Energy can keep customer surcharges in place related to a 2021 winter storm. Watchdogs worry utilities are leaning too much on ratepayers for higher natural-gas prices. In February of 2021, Winter Storm Uri sent…
Greater Minnesotans may be feeling the squeeze of inflation more so than their metro counterparts
June 23, 2022 MinnPost Greta Kaul and Walker Orenstein Across the state, Minnesotans are concerned with the rising cost of living. Earlier this month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics again announced record levels of inflation, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of the cost of things people buy, up 8.7 percent from a…
CenterPoint should share burden of winter storm price spike
June 15, 2022 Star Tribune Lisa Goodman Have you noticed that your CenterPoint gas bill is up this year? You’re not alone. In addition to CenterPoint’s rate hike, some of those higher costs are from a five-day period in February 2021 when wholesale fuel prices spiked 4,000%. If the utility prevails, customers will be paying…
How to decipher your electric bill in Minnesota
June 19, 2022 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett Utility bills can be confusing. Here’s a breakdown of what all the lines on a typical bill mean and what your bill funds. The electricity-sucking summer air-conditioning season is upon us, just as energy costs are soaring. With that in mind, consumers might be scrutinizing their electricity bills….
Minnesota gas utilities criticized for making Uri crisis worse on customers
June 13, 2022 Energy and Policy Institute Karlee Weinmann Minnesota state agencies urged regulators in scathing filings this month to require gas utilities to absorb at least a portion of the combined $662 million in extra charges they racked up over a five-day cold snap in February 2021. The utilities are asking regulators for permission…