The Wyoming Senate voted 15-14 to continuing debating whether to get rid of the Office of Consumer Advocate by 2017. The office represents Wyoming consumers in utility rate cases.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Eli Bebout said it looks to him like the office does little to prevent rate hikes, but this week former legislator and Torrington resident Russ Zimmer disagreed. Zimmer told the Senate Minerals Committee that he credits the office with convincing the Public Service Commission to reject a 20 percent rate hike by the local utility in that community. Cheyenne Senator Tony Ross also said the office is important.
“There is nobody to represent the consumers interest when you have these rate hearings, except for the office of consumer advocate period. So if you get rid of the office of consumer advocate you get rid of potentially one half of the evidence and all you hear from is the utility.”
A number of consumer groups and utilities both have lobbied in favor of the office this week. The bill would move the sunset date of the office up from 2023 to 2017. The Senate will debate the measure two more times.
