Over the past 15 years, West Virginians have been shelling out more of their income each month on electricity bills. Now, as lawmakers continue to push a reliance on coal, with support from the Trump administration, advocates say they are worried about residents' bottom line.
Appalachian Power continues to have high inventories of coal at its West Virginia plants, and that’s costing the company and electricity customers.
The company asked the Public Service Commission on Tuesday to recover $71.6 million in fuel costs for the 12-month period ending in February.
If approved, the average residential electricity customer would pay about $5 more a month.
President Donald Trump wants the country to use more coal, a fuel utilities have turned away from in recent decades. One exception: West Virginia, which produces and consumes a lot of coal. That’s made electricity more expensive there. Some residents have turned to alternative ways to power and heat their homes.
A new push by the Trump administration for more coal production is getting mixed reviews in West Virginia, where the majority of electricity is produced by coal and expensive for many residents.
