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Consumer Advocate says expert funding has helped trim utility requests, asks lawmakers for continued support
Summary
Robert Williams, director of West Virginia's Consumer Advocate Division, told the Senate Finance Committee that hiring outside experts helped disallow about $230 million in coal‑related costs and defer another $350 million; he requested additional funding for consultants to handle a surge in complex rate cases.
Robert Williams, director of the West Virginia Consumer Advocate Division, told the Senate Finance Committee on Jan. 20 that his office has increased spending on expert witnesses and consultants to contest complex utility rate requests and protect residential customers.
"We were first created ... in 1981 to represent the interest of residential utility customers in the state," Williams said, describing the division’s role in PSC proceedings and in the PJM stakeholder process. Williams told senators the office expanded its expert budget to bring nationally recognized consultants to bear in major cases and has asked for an additional $350,000 to finish the fiscal year and to prepare for upcoming filings.
Williams cited concrete outcomes as justification for the funding. He said the division helped obtain a commission decision that disallowed approximately $230 million in fuel or coal costs the division argued were imprudent, and that the commission agreed to defer roughly $350 million of other requested costs to reduce near‑term rate impact. "Those are things that would not have happened without our experts being involved in the case," Williams said.
Senators asked Williams to quantify savings to ratepayers from expert interventions. Williams said his office can show reductions from original requests — for example, he described trimming Appalachian Power Company’s rate request and influencing an authorized return figure. He also outlined imminent filings the Consumer Advocate expects to engage in, including rate cases involving Mountaineer Gas Company and Monongahela Power, and said participation at PJM and engagement on transmission projects remains critical to West Virginia ratepayer interests.
Williams asked the committee to consider supplemental funding or other measures to ensure the Consumer Advocate Division can pay consultants and hire and retain staff with the technical expertise necessary for high‑stakes cases.
