Curtis Tate

1 week ago | wvpublic.org | Curtis Tate

Before the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) heard public frustration about rising electricity costs Tuesday, community groups held a protest outside its headquarters. A couple dozen people could be heard chanting, “What do we want? Lower utility rates! When do we want it? Now!” ahead of a public hearing on Appalachian Power’s base rate case. The company is seeking to raise rates, and if approved as submitted, the average residential electricity user will pay nearly $24 more a month.

1 week ago | wvpublic.org | Curtis Tate

Supporters of tax credits to help homeowners make their houses more energy efficient were hoping the U.S. Senate would protect those credits, but they are still on the chopping block. The Senate Finance Committee on Monday unveiled its version of legislation to extend the tax cuts of 2017. While the Senate’s version relaxed some of the timelines for phasing out utility scale wind and solar credits, it includes a quick elimination of credits that benefit homeowners.

1 week ago | wvpublic.org | Curtis Tate

The West Virginia Public Service Commission will hold hearings starting Tuesday on Appalachian Power’s proposal to raise electricity rates. Appalachian Power has asked the PSC to increase its base rates in a case that’s generated considerable public outcry. If approved, the average electricity customer’s bill would go up $23.74 a month. Groups opposing the increase say rates have doubled in the past 15 years and that electricity costs overall have increased faster than the rate of inflation.

2 weeks ago | wvpublic.org | Curtis Tate

The end of tax credits for clean energy projects, as proposed in legislation moving through Congress, risks hundreds of millions of dollars of investment and jobs in West Virginia. Curtis Tate spoke with former Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael, who supports preserving the tax credits. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Tate: What’s at stake in West Virginia? What does the state stand to lose?

2 weeks ago | wvpublic.org | Curtis Tate

A coalition of environmental groups has sued the Trump administration for exempting dozens of power plants from federal air pollution rules, including three in West Virginia. The groups filed the lawsuit in U.S. district court in Washington Thursday over an exemption to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s updated rule on mercury and air toxics. The Biden administration made the rule final last year.