CPS Energy Trustees Bypass Ratepayer Concerns, Rush Rate Hike Request to City Council
SAN ANTONIO – Today, the CPS Energy board of trustees unanimously blessed the second rate increase to residential rates in as many years and forwarded it to the San Antonio City Council for a decisive vote this Thursday.
In doing so, trustees rubber-stamped another rate request even as advocates called for a pause to allow an independent residential consumer advocate to evaluate the 4.25% increase to customer bills across the board. This latest increase is on top of the higher base rate established by the 3.85% rate hike enacted in 2022.
DeeDee Belmares, clean energy advocate for Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“CPS Energy and its board are once again increasing customers’ bills without discussing a redesign of rates to encourage conservation and discourage energy waste. Trustees must know that the public may not accept one rate increase after another without CPS Energy engaging in a fully transparent rate reform process to address utility and customer needs.
“By avoiding genuine discussion and planning about updating rate design or, at minimum, directing CPS Energy to devise a plan with specific deadlines to do just that, trustees are kicking the can down the road. The board’s No. 1 responsibility should be to provide robust oversight of CPS Energy.”
CPS Energy disclosed the increase request less than a month ago and wants to enforce it as of Feb. 1. Utility leaders have said another increase request is a certainty in two years and increases every two years are possible.