"Utility customers sometimes foot the bill for lobbying, advertising and luxurious living, new report shows"
"Power companies across the country have been quietly trying to charge their customers for millions of dollars worth of luxury expenses — including bi-weekly massages, access to exclusive country clubs and private jet travel — according to a new report from the Energy and Policy Institute (EPI), a utility watchdog.
The regulated monopolies are only supposed to charge for expenses that directly benefit customers, such as upgrades to the electric grid or the salaries of employees. But a dysfunctional regulatory system allows gas and electric companies to charge not just luxury perks, but also nonessential lobbying and advertising costs into customers’ electric bills, the report found.
In 2019, Dominion South Carolina attempted to pass almost $1 million in exclusive golf and country club memberships for their employees onto customers.
Utilities also use ratepayer money to finance self-serving marketing campaigns. Over the past decade, utilities spent more than $1.1 billion on goodwill and institutional advertising under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) accounting categories, EPI found."
Mario Alejandro Ariza reports for Floodlight December 11, 2024.
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