THE NUCLER NIGHTMARE

When a monopoly such as SC Electric & Gas appears to have complete influence over the state legislature and the state’s regulatory agency, there is little chance of fair treatment of its customers.

One of my Texas friends who lives in Houston told me he has a choice of 18 electric companies from whom he can select for his electrical power. Why can we South Carolinians not have more than one choice for our supplier rather than being required to receive our electricity from a monopoly?

I recall just a few years ago when Lawrence Gressette was the chief presiding officer of SCE&G his annual salary was about $200,000. I read that last year SCE&G’s chief presiding official was paid multi-millions of dollars in compensation while he and his company were extorting money from its customers to build two nuclear facilities.

In my view, the electric company should have used stockholders’ money for expansion, since the stockholders were supposed to benefit from the expansion.

When the legislature, state regulators, SCE&G and Santee Cooper decided to charge the ratepayers an added 18% to pay for construction costs, it seems to me the customers should at least have been issued stock certificates rather than receive nothing for their forced contribution.

By all accounts, SCE&G seems to have unlimited amounts of company stock to award annually to its chief. Then why can they not compensate with SCE&G stock their customers as well, since we were forced to provide money for their ill-fated expansion?

John L. Frierson Lexington