CUB Urges Consumers To Attend Ameren Rate-hike Hearing
CHICAGO, Oct. 1, 2009—The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is urging consumers to let their voices be heard at a public hearing scheduled by state regulators regarding Ameren’s proposed $226 million rate hike.

Contact:
For more information call
Jim Chilsen at 312-263-4282 (office) or 312-513-1784 (cell).
Click here for an Adobe Acrobat version of the news release.
The rate-hike plan would affect Ameren CILCO, AmerenCIPS, AmerenCIPS-Metro East, and AmerenIP customers, with about $181 million coming from increases in electric rates and $45 million coming from natural gas increases. The proposal came less than a year after state regulators granted the company a $162 million increase, which CUB is appealing.

“The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) needs to hear how this rate hike would burden hardworking Illinois consumers,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “Ameren’s parent company reaped more than $600 million in 2008 profits and consumers are struggling to pay their bills. It’s the worst possible time for a rate hike.”

CUB and the Illinois Attorney General’s office recently released a report showing that Ameren was one of the most inefficient electric companies in the nation, estimating that the company wasted more than $158 million of its customers’ money in 2008.

The first hearing is:

7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 5, 2009
Kenneth Hall Regional Office Building
1100 Eastport Plaza
Collinsville


CUB encourages consumers to visit www.StopAmeren.com, which provides information on how they can let state regulators know they are opposed to the rate hike.

CUB is Illinois’ leading nonprofit utility watchdog organization. It was created by the Illinois legislature in 1983 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $10 billion by helping to block rate hikes and secure refunds. For more information, call CUB’s Consumer Hotline at 1-800-669-5556.