TEXARKANA, AR., (Oct. 24, 2024) – Visibility Outreach Touch Engage (VOTE S.O.A.R) joins a growing chorus of Arkansas organizations, legislators, businesses and residents in opposing Summit Utilities’ outrageous 23% gas rate increase on its customers. The proposed settlement, which is pending before the Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC), will amount to an $87.7 million windfall for Summit at the expense of millions of southerners who are already struggling to pay their electric and gas bills. 

“More customers are cost-burdened in the south than in any other part of the country, and more than a third of the region’s population has trouble paying their energy bills,” VOTE S.O.A.R. executive director Sylvia Brown said during the APSC’s first public hearing on the matter on Tuesday, October 22nd. 

In her statement, Brown claimed that Summit, Attorney General Tim Griffin, and all other parties involved in negotiating the settlement kept a “tight lid” on the rate consideration process. Facing public pressure, Griffin has already attempted to back out of the settlement, only for the APSC to reject the attempt in a procedural vote early Wednesday morning. 

“This proceeding has not had the best interest of Arkansas’ residential customers front and center,” said Brown. “The talking points from Summit and the Attorney General leave more questions, uncertainty, and, I believe, room to go back to the negotiation table.” 

VOTE calls on the APSC to reject the rate increase in consideration of the well-documented energy burden many summit customers face – particularly those from low- and moderate-income households – as well as the poor condition of the housing stock in the region, and the limited philanthropic support available to offset these challenges. 

The organization urges concerned Summit customers to  go online and tell the APSC to vote “No” on the rate increase, and support the AG’s call to restart the negotiating process. Written comments can be submitted online at: https://apps.apsc.arkansas.gov/olsv2/publiccommentform.asp (Docket# 23-079-u).