From Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
Photo courtesy of Akshay Chauhan on Unsplash
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has scheduled a series of 10 in-person and telephonic hearings in mid-January to gather public input on proposed rate increases by Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC) for both its water and wastewater service.
On Thursday, Dec. 4, the Commission voted 5-0 to suspend and investigate the proposed changes. PAWC serves approximately 682,000 water customers and 97,000 wastewater customers in 37 counties across the Commonwealth.
PUC Administrative Law Judges Jeffrey A. Watson and Emily DeVoe will preside over the public input hearings.
In-person public input hearings
A total of eight in-person public input hearings will be held at the following locations and times:
(Note: Preregistration is not required for the in-person hearings)
Tuesday, Jan. 13 (Washington County)
Crossroads Center
Meeting Room G-16
95 West Beau St.
Washington, PA 15301
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 15 (Lackawanna County)
Scranton University
Brennan Hall, Fifth Floor
320 Madison Ave.
Scranton, PA 18510
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 16 (Dauphin County)
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Keystone Building
Hearing Room #1
400 North St.
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 20 (Berks County)
Dunn Community Center – Upper Level
4565 Prestwick Dr.
Reading, PA 19606
Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Telephonic public input hearings
Two telephonic hearings will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the following times:
(Note: Preregistration is encouraged for the telephonic hearings)
Wednesday, Jan. 21
Telephonic hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
Telephonic hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
Participating in the telephonic input hearings
The call-in information for the two telephonic hearings is as follows:
- Toll-free conference number: 866-675-4281
- PIN number: 85057514
To participate in a telephonic public input hearing, please complete the following:
- You must dial the toll-free conference number above.
- You must enter the PIN number above when instructed.
- You must speak your name when prompted and press #.
- Then, the telephone system will connect you to the hearing.
Note: Individuals wishing to testify at a telephonic public input hearing are encouraged to pre-register by 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 19. Failure to pre-register could result in you not being called to testify by the PUC Judges.
To pre-register, please email the PUC Judges’ Legal Assistant, Sumathi Jayakumar Raj, at sumjayakum@pa.gov or call the Judges’ office phone at 717-787-4972 and provide the following information:
- Your first and last name.
- The hearing for which you are registering.
- The phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
- A phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing, if needed.
- Your email address, if you have one.
Assistance with registration
If you need assistance pre-registering to testify, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide the PUC Judges with all the information listed above. Additionally, if more than one person in your household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household by providing the PUC Judges’ Legal Assistant with the information for each individual planning to testify.
Requests for interpreters
If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible. If you register too close to the hearing date, we may not have enough time to arrange for an interpreter. If you request an interpreter, we will make every reasonable effort to have one present.
The TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 1-800-654-5988.
Hearing exhibits
If you have any hearing exhibits to which you will refer during the hearing, please email them to the Legal Assistant at Sumjayakum@pa.gov. The PUC Judges will forward your exhibits to the active parties.
- Exhibits for any in-person public input hearing must be received by the Legal Assistant by Friday, Jan. 9.
- Exhibits for the telephonic public input hearings must be received by the Legal Assistant by Monday, Jan. 19.
Offering testimony at a public input hearing
The PUC offers tips on how to participate in a public input hearing, including:
- Prepare what you are going to say beforehand. Even though it is not required, you may want to write out your statement, which can be read.
- Any formal testimony that is offered during the hearing will become part of the record on which the PUC will issue its final decision.
- Understand that parties in the case may want to ask you a question to clarify something you said.
Questions
Individuals needing assistance with pre-registration, or having questions about the public input hearing or the company’s application, may contact the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate toll-free at 1-800-684-6560 or by email at consumer@paoca.org. Small businesses can contact the Office of Small Business Advocate at 717-783-2525 or osba@pa.gov.
Other ways to be heard
If you want to be heard about the proposed rate increase but do not want or cannot testify at the public input hearings, you may file a formal complaint or comment on the proposed rate increase. Please visit the PUC’s website to use the applicable form available.
Proposed rate changes
PAWC’s proposes an overall increase of $168.7 million (approximately 14.6%) in total annual operating revenues for water and wastewater service. As proposed, PAWC customers would have seen the following rate changes:
- For a typical residential water customer using 3,263 gallons a month, an increase ranging from $2.73 per month to $27.77 per month, an increase between 9.8% and 41.14%, depending on their service area.
- For a typical wastewater customer using 3,164 gallons a month, an increase ranging from $0 per month to $26.29 per month, an increase between 0% and 54.14%, depending on their service area.
- For customers with combined stormwater and wastewater systems, an increase of approximately $20 per month.
A final PUC decision on PAWC’s rate increase requests is due by Thursday, Aug. 13.
About the PUC
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.
Visit the PUC’s website at puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.
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