End Avista monopoly
If you have looked at this month’s Avista bill, you will notice at the top where it says that “effective March 1, 2012, that the overall natural gas rates decreased about 6 percent resulting from a cost adjustment filing.”
Natural gas prices fell about 50 percent from about $5 to $2.50 last summer and you get 6 percent! Prices didn’t fall yesterday. So, they have billed you through the entire winter heating season when they were required by law to adjust prices according to actual market. This is not an isolated example, and only surfaced when they got caught! Avista has a history of deception and dishonesty. In 2001, they got a 20 percent surcharge due to a temporary spike in prices, which lasted almost 10 years.
It is easy to change a for-profit private monopoly into a public utility district like they have in Seattle and other areas. It only requires a simple majority vote, which should be easy to get. End the Avista monopoly now!
David Smith
Post Falls