Washington Attorney General says Avista owes customers $41 million

Melissa Luck by Melissa Luck

Avista Corporation

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson says Spokane-based Avista Corp should be ordered to pay back $41 million to customers, overcharged for more than two years.

Ferguson wants the state Utilities and Exchange Commission to require Avista to pay back customers for overcharges between January 11, 2016 and April 30, 2018.

The claim says residential customers were overcharged $15 million, averaging $40 in overcharges per customer.

The attorney general’s office says overcharges stem from a rate hike that was approved based on Avista’s projected growth. The state says that violated state law, which requires that the utility property must be “used and useful” to be included in customer rates.

The AG also claims the rate hike was calculated incorrectly and did not reflect lower power costs.

According to the AG’s office, the state appealed the rate hike. The state prevailed and the Court of Appeals ordered the UTC to recalculate the rates. The state now wants the customer refunds as a result of that decision.

The UTC will issue a final decision after a hearing on the case October 30th.

You can read the full claim at this link.

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