You have a business to run. It is hard to stay on top of things locally let alone at the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) where your electric rates are set. That’s where the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin comes in. We advocate for all small utility customers from individual citizens to small businesses and farmers for fair, safe and reliable utility service. We monitor the changing energy world and put the utility customer first.
CUB small business members benefit from our team of legislative, utility and communications experts who advocate tirelessly for your business at the Public Service Commission, the state Capitol, in the courts, and at regulatory agencies.
Small Business Membership Benefits:
Advocacy: CUB business membership keeps you up-to-date on issues that matter to you.
- Monthly electronic newsletters highlighting key cases before the PSC, issues before the Legislature, and information to help you control energy costs.
- Action Alerts keep you notified and enable you to get involved, when important decisions are up for hearing/vote.
- CUB works as Your Independent Consumer Voice at the table for small business interests when the PSC sets rates and energy policy.
Empowerment: CUB will help you take action and share your thoughts with Wisconsin government officials.
- Confused by your bill? We can explain it.
- Problem with your utility service and pricing? We will answer questions and help you work with your utility.
- Who makes these decisions anyway? We will show your staff how to interact with the PSC and legislators
Access: CUB can help your organization and employees save resources and money.
- Host a “utility bill clinic” about ways to help residents and businesses save money on their utility bills.
- Promote your support of fair, safe and reliable utility rates with the CUB small business member badge.
Outreach: CUB will help small business members partner with other members and like-minded organizations to bring these issues to the public. CUB staff can answer questions about energy related matters as well as provide free one-on-one utility bill consultations.
Partnership Opportunities: CUB partners with community groups interested in learning about utility issues. We provide presentations on how to understand your utility bills, how the PSC works and how you can get involved. Plus, we can provide information on energy costs you can control. Let us know what you’re interested in, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
November 16, 2010: Consumers Should Not Pay for Million-dollar Bonuses for Utility Executives
Posted: November 16, 2010 by Leah Steinberg
For Immediate Release: November 16, 2010
Consumers Should Not Pay for Million-dollar
Bonuses for Utility Executives
Statement of Charlie Higley, Executive Director
The Citizens Utility Board calls on the commissioners of the Public Service Commission to make sure that consumers don’t pay for millions of dollars of bonuses, stock options, and other “incentive compensation” lavished on utility executives.
PSC Chairperson Eric Callisto and Commissioners Mark Meyer and Lauren Azar are considering making changes to administrative rules known as the “fuel rules,” which lay out a process by which utilities can change electricity rates when prices for coal, natural gas, or other fuels for making electricity unexpectedly change in price.
We urge the commissioners to include a provision that would prevent the utilities from manipulating the fuel rules in ways that would force utility customers to pay for millions of dollars of bonuses and other incentive compensation given to utility executives.
Combined, the incentive compensation given to the five highest paid executives at Alliant Energy, Madison Gas & Electric, We Energies, and Wisconsin Public Service Corp. in 2009 was $44 million, on top of salaries of $10 million. The incentive compensation paid to these 20 utility executives was much larger than the entire 2009 budget of $28 million for the Public Service Commission, a state agency with about 150 staff.
Utilities should not be able to use administrative rules to force rate payers to pay for these outrageous bonuses, especially since the PSC routinely and rightly prohibits utilities from charging customers for incentive compensation in rates.
With many people out of work, and stagnant or declining wages for those with jobs, it would be worse than heartless for the PSC to initiate rules, or for the Legislature to approve them, that would build in a loop-hole allowing utilities to rob rate payers of millions of dollars to pay for executive bonuses.
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Category: Press Releases Tags: CUB News, PSC