COLORADO: Monopoly utilities, PUC team up against captive ratepayers.

The Public Utilities Commission’s job was (key word there) to fight for the least cost energy while protecting our environment. That mission has been turned on its head. Least cost is the PUC’s very last priority. This suits the greenies and the corporate cronies just fine.

Energy companies, like Xcel, are guaranteed a “rate of return.” That’s guaranteed profit on whatever they do. Anything they do! Thus, their business model is not providing power. It’s building stuff. Any stuff!

Consequently, they love “environmental” mandates.

For every windmill they put up, they get to charge you for building it. And then they get to charge you for the backup generator for when the wind doesn’t blow. And then they get to charge you for the transmission lines from both windmill and the backup generators.

All this while they keep charging you to pay off the mortgage on the coal-fired plant they just turned off.

It’s not a double dip. It’s a triple dip. And the PUC enables it.

We let the Democrats take charge, so we’ll keep getting it gooder and harder.