Staff Report
Published April 26, 2010

Area residents who are charged up about the 9.5% rate increase being proposed by S.C. Electric & Gas will get their say on the matter starting tonight.

The S.C. Public Service Commission is set to host four public hearings statewide on the issue, starting with the first at 6 tonight at Summerville Town Hall. The second hearing will be held Tuesday at the International Longshoremen's Association hall in Charleston. The final pair will be held in May in Graniteville and Columbia.

The hikes, if approved, would go to pay for $600 million in federally required environmental equipment, ballooning property and income taxes, and system maintenance — including $270 million for the agency’s transmission and distribution system — SCE&G officials say.

The increases would come in three stages of about 3% each. The first would hit in July, followed by additional rate hikes in January and July of next year.

A formal hearing by the commission will be held by the commission May 24-27, and a final ruling is expected by mid-July.

More information on the increases can be found at: SCE&G.com.

Hearing Schedule
When: 6 p.m., tonight
Where: Summerville Town Hall, Council Chambers
Address: 200 South Main St., Summerville

When: 6 p.m., Tuesday
Where: International Longshoremen’s Association hall
Address: 1142 Morrison Drive, Charleston

When: 6 p.m., May 6
Where: Aiken Technical College Amphitheater
Address: 2276 Jefferson Davis Highway, Graniteville

When: 6 p.m., May 24
Where: S.C. Public Service Commission
Address: 101 Executive Center Drive, Columbia

Formal hearing
When: May 24-27
Where: S.C. Public Service Commission
Address: 101 Executive Center Drive, Columbia