暗黑爆料 brief:
Some of the largest utility companies in the Mountain West are increasing electricity rates as they grapple with inflationary pressures and weather disruptions.
Rocky Mountain Power, Wyoming鈥檚 largest electric utility, to increase rates by an average of 7.6%. That means residential customers would see their bills go up by an average of $3.52 every month. Idaho Power a double-digit rate increase, and companies have also raised prices this year.
Tyler Hodge, an economist with the Energy Information Administration, said electricity has been getting more expensive around the country recently.
鈥淪pecifically, last year, we did see some of the largest increases in recent memory, and a lot of that was mainly due to just general increases in overall fuel costs,鈥� he said.
Energy rates have also gone up in , and . Hodge said rising energy prices, general inflation and extreme weather and temperature swings lead to higher operation costs for many utility companies 鈥� who then pass the burden onto customers.
However, Hodge said people could start seeing some relief soon. Natural gas prices, for instance, .
鈥淓ven though we do expect increases in residential prices this year, we are saying eventually the prices should come back down,鈥� Hodge said.
But for now, many households are struggling with high bills. In Colorado, protesters to take action regarding rising energy rates, and legislators to protect residents from future cost spikes. In New Mexico, to give low-income people cheaper utility rates passed the state Senate but didn't reach the governor's desk.
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau is provided in part by the .
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