Are Dominion Energy officials copying a SC Electric & Gas tactic: lying to regulators to get what they want?

Dominion witness Alan Rooks dropped a bombshell at a Public Service Commission hearing, according to SC Small Business Chamber CEO Frank Knapp, Jr.

Rooks testified as the lone Dominion employee witness at the hearing into the utilities request to raise solar customers’ rates.

Rooks is responsible for designing and administering Dominion’s electric rates and tariffs, Knapp said.

Rooks admitted Dominion’s claim that non-solar customers were subsidizing solar net-metering customers is false.

Based on the company’s analysis, Rooks said the details of Dominion’s cost shift assertion:

• Home non-solar customers pay $1.38 more a month to subsidize solar customers.

• Small business non-solar customers pay 28 cents more.

Under cross examination Rooks acknowledged that this subsidization was actually not occurring today but instead were projections for possible cost shift years down the road.

Even if Dominion’s proposed higher rates for solar customers went into effect now, non-solar customers would receive no financial benefit.

Dominion officials will keep millions of dollars in higher rates if the PSC will let them.

Lawmakers were not told any of this during deliberation of a bill to eliminate the solar cost shift, Knapp said. Had Dominion done so, the urgency of the cost shift might have evaporated.

The PSC may decide to adjust solar net metering to address cost shifts later, said Knapp, an intervenor in PSC hearing.

If the PSC does, “solar demand will drop dramatically due to a 60% drop in savings.”

“With little new solar to reduce peak electricity demand,” Knapp said, “Dominion will want the PSC to raise your rates to build new generators.”

Dominion has not yet responded a request to comment on Rooks’ testimony.

We welcome your thoughts.

Please email JerryBellune at yahoo.com