AARP Oklahoma came out with a statement Monday explaining its stance of non-opposition to the $126.6 million rate hike made by Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. before Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners.
However, State Director Sean Voskuhl made it quite clear, he was not happy with the request agreed to by the utility and 9 other organizations including the Attorney General.
“AARP Oklahoma did not sign the proposed settlement agreement, which will once again saddle OG&E residential customers with an unfair $126.6 million rate increase,” stated Voskuhl.
“The settlement’s terms will raise utility bills more than $9 a month, an amount many customers simply cannot afford as OG&E continues to raise rates with no end in sight.
He went on to explain his organization is “disappointed in the overall settlement agreement” but also pleased with its efforts to reject the initial request that would have increased a residential customer’s bill to $21 more a month.
“Proponents of this settlement agreement tout the recent fuel adjustment refund offsets the more than $9 a month rate increase. The refund is actually the customer’s money and is a separate issue from this case,” added Voskuhl.
Voskuhl’s statement explainedmore than 3,700 AARP members called, emailed and signed petitions pleading with corporation commissioners not to approve “yet another unreasonable rate hike” from a company that made more than $425 million in profits last year.
“While customers are forced to choose between buying food and medicine and keeping the lights on, OG&E, year after year, rakes in millions of dollars in profits. Oklahomans are fed up with utility companies lining their pockets and expecting customers to pick up another $126 million tab,” professed Voskuhl.
