Kentucky is no stranger to punishing severe weather, and one of the many knock-on effects comes in the form of fuel adjustment surcharges. Those are mechanisms by which utilities recover higher fuel costs.
"Due to the cold weather, and sometimes this happens in summer as well, the fuel surcharge for the February bills could be anywhere from $30 with some providers up to $80 on an average bill for other service providers," Sen. Phillip Wheeler said. "Folks that already have their household expenses stretched then, we need to give them a little bit of relief."
The Pikeville lawmaker's bill would allow the Kentucky Public Service Commission to grant utilities the ability to spread the cost of that fuel recovery out over the span of several months — rather than charging customers in an abrupt, all-in-one bill.
Wheeler acknowledged the change isn't a cure-all when it comes to energy prices, but he called it a "responsible step" the state can take to help protect constituents.
The bill is now on the governor's desk for his consideration.