Watch your utilities
Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam calls it an “alternative regulatory” method.
But the bill he is championing to allow monopoly utilities like Tennessee American Water and Chattanooga Gas Co. to seek annual rate hikes with less review, sounds more like simply lessening oversight at ratepayer expense.
“What this does in our opinion is make it more likely that rates will increase for business and households,” said Vance Broemel, an attorney with the Consumer Advocate Division of the state attorney general’s office.
Haslam has always touted a platform to “streamline” regulation for businesses. In this bill, “alternative regulatory” methods mean giving utilities more opportunity to raise rates with less transparency and review.