Protest held in Deer District against approved 11% price hike by We Energies

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Thursday Dec. 22, dozens of people braved the cold and snow to protest the recently approved WE Energies rate increase.

Protestors said the approved plan would put some members of the black and brown community at a financial disadvantage.

"By these houses being inefficiently weatherized, that means that we are pulling more energy in the winter months to stay warm, and more energy in the summer months to stay cooler," said Keviea Guiden of Citizen Action of Wisconsin Northside rising co-op.

WE Energies said this is the first rate hike in eight years, and it is meant to provide a better service to every community.

"We are moving away from our older, less efficient fossil fuel plants, we are building a new modern renewable generation, natural gas generation, battery storage plants; we are also investing heavily in strengthening our grid for severe weather," said Brendan Conway, a WE Energies Spokesperson.

Despite the upgrades, protestors like Guiden said she has seen little to no change from the company.

"We can't tell there has been no change, there isn’t a change, and this is why we are out here protesting in a blizzard, because we opposed what We Energies is doing, said Guiden.

As the city braces for freezing temperatures, WE Energies said the price hike is their way of staying prepared

"You just have to look at the forecast, to say we want to make sure that we can keep the heat on, we can keep the lights on, as people are celebrating the Christmas holiday, and other holidays, and certainly as the temperatures are this cold," said Conway.

The plan is slated to take effect in January, raising the cost of electricity by nearly 11% for consumers.