When we think about public enemies, we usually envision criminals with more guns than scruples. But the real public enemies may not carry weapons but they affect far more of us than most criminals.

What we are talking out here are the lawyers and executives of public utilities and the state regulators who are supposed to watch them and protect us from criminal practices.

We confess we feel compassion for the families of public servants and utility executives.

The employees and families have done no wrong.

A friend of ours told us of stopping to thank a woman in an SCE&G uniform for her efforts to keep our lights on.

“She almost cried,” he said.

SCE&G employees have taken a lot of grief for the careless or criminal action of their bosses.

But it is incredible that those bosses are now asking the Public Service Commission for another $4.7 billion from ratepayers to recover the costs of their mismanagement of a $9 billion nuclear reactor project.

More than 10 years ago, the same bosses promised us that their nuclear project would bring us clean energy at a great saving on electricity costs.

Now we will get none of it.

By one estimate, what they ask will cost 700,000 customers about $14,534 spread over 50 years per customer or an average of $290 a year. That’s another $24 a month on your bill.

By another estimate, this would cost about $92,906,340 a year, or $132.72 a customer a year. That’s another $11 a month on your electricity bill.

We don’t know which estimate is correct but we know it will have a negative impact on thousands of older ratepayers on fixed incomes and the rising costs of everything else.

SCE&G executives and those at its owner, the SCANA holding company, have painted themselves, their investors and their ratepayers into this corner.

We don’t pretend to know how they can get us out.

But we know the Public Disservice Commission should not let them victimize us again.

– JerryBellune.com