ComEd chief wants to throw flag on CUB leader's column
Letter to the Editor,
The Daily Southtown
Feb 5, 2007
In his recent Bears-themed column
(Daily Southtown, Jan. 31), David Kolata, executive director of the Citizens
Utility Board, was calling plays directly from the pages of the ComEd CARE
playbook when he urged ComEd customers to save money by using electricity wisely.
All of the specific steps Mr. Kolata
recommended, and many more useful energy-saving ideas, are available on our Web
site at www.ComEdCARE.com or by calling (888) 806-CARE (2273). We welcome his
support in helping us inform consumers that conserving energy is an effective
way to reduce their electricity bill.
But Mr. Kolata's call for rate-freeze
legislation should draw a penalty flag. The higher electricity rates that went
into effect at the beginning of this year reflect the reality that the cost of
electricity has risen, along with nearly everything else we buy, in the 10
years since rates were reduced and frozen. Even with the increase, today's
rates are lower than they were in 1995 -- a fact Mr. Kolata conveniently has
chosen to ignore. And ComEd is offering an option that gives customers the
choice to pay the increase over time at a below-market interest rate, easing
the transition to higher rates.
Rolling back and freezing rates now
quickly would lead to financial disaster for the state's electric utilities,
which would put reliability of electric service, jobs and economic growth in
President
Commonwealth
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