OK, people. Get out your checkbooks.
City officials, through Peabody Energy and the American Municipal Power [AMP] people, have locked Bowling
Green into a 50 year commitment [for 50% of our electricity] to the failing AMP Prairie State, Illinois,
coal company.
Bowling Green [and other AMP communities] are contracted to pay off any debts incurred by [1] the AMP
coal plant and [2] six AMP hydroelectric plants which are presently running at double the original
projected construction cost.
In order to pay off these debts, Bowling Green’s Board of Public Utilities decided to increase residents’
electric rates by 5% starting March 31 of this year, with an additional increase of 5% every year for 5
years.
Check out the "electric" portion [lower, left side] of your monthly utility bill.
If the electric portion of your monthly utility bill averages, say, $100, you will pay an average $105 a
month for the rest of 2014.
For 2015, $110 [$1320 a yr]
For 2016, $116 [$1392 a yr]
For 2017, $122 [$1464 a yr]
For 2018, $128 [$1536 a yr]
For 2019, $134 [$1608 a yr]
City officials continue to refuse citizens’ requests, at no cost whatever to the city, to at least join
with other Ohio cities who are asking Ohio’s attorney general to investigate the Prairie State deal to
see if there was misrepresentation of the coal contract. The SEC is already investigating Peabody Energy
and American Municipal Power in the matter.
A Sentinel-Tribune report [4/25 page 1] on the Bowling Green, Ohio situation is available at:
http://www.sent-trib.com/front-page/energy-analyst-questions-bg-deal-for-electric.
Sally Medbourn Mott
Bowling Green