slickdawg
7/6/2006, 07:21 PM
http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWL070606rpentergy.2fb09f46.html
Customers of Entergy New Orleans could expect about a $45 per month increase on their utility bills under a rate hike proposed by the company.
The hike would have to be approved by the city council.
CEO Dan Packer said the increase would amount to about a 25 percent hike, much less than the 140 percent jump the company had mentioned as possible to make up for losses from Katrina.
Packer said Entergy has instead decided to only ask for what it has spent and that the proposed increase would fund the repairs, make up for losses due to a lack of customers and begin to build a reserve for future storms.
“We’ll go back in six months and look at other expenses (that we incur) for possible rate increases,” said Packer.
Packer said possible hikes could be mitigated if the company can receive some community block grant funds to rebuild facilities badly damaged by both Katrina’s winds and the floodwaters that equipment sat in for days and sometimes weeks after the storm.
Customers of Entergy New Orleans could expect about a $45 per month increase on their utility bills under a rate hike proposed by the company.
The hike would have to be approved by the city council.
CEO Dan Packer said the increase would amount to about a 25 percent hike, much less than the 140 percent jump the company had mentioned as possible to make up for losses from Katrina.
Packer said Entergy has instead decided to only ask for what it has spent and that the proposed increase would fund the repairs, make up for losses due to a lack of customers and begin to build a reserve for future storms.
“We’ll go back in six months and look at other expenses (that we incur) for possible rate increases,” said Packer.
Packer said possible hikes could be mitigated if the company can receive some community block grant funds to rebuild facilities badly damaged by both Katrina’s winds and the floodwaters that equipment sat in for days and sometimes weeks after the storm.