Associated Press Published

Advocacy Group Seeks to Intervene in W.Va. Water Rate Case

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An advocacy organization formed after a 2014 chemical spill has filed a petition to intervene in West Virginia American Water’s rate case.

The state’s biggest water utility is seeking Public Service Commission approval for a 28 percent rate increase. The company attributes the proposed increase to $105 million in system improvements since 2012 and $98 million in projects planned through February 2017.

Advocates for a Safe Water System said it filed a petition to intervene with the PSC on Friday. The organization said in the petition that any changes in rates should improve the safety of the water system and “otherwise promote the public interest.”

The organization was formed after the chemical spill sullied the utility’s water for 300,000 people for days.