JCP&L's Summer Surcharge Fees On Hold

A plan by JCP&L to hit some high-energy users with an extra surcharge this summer has been suspended, following a meeting of the New Jersey Board Of Public Utilities. BPU spokesman Doyal Siddell said following closed-door discussions, "The board decided to suspend the summer pilot project for JCP&L," referring to the summer surcharge. He cited unforeseen consequences for agriculture and seasonal businesses in the board's decision. The focus of the program is to encourage customers using more energy to make conservation efforts during the high-demand months, reducing usage and cutting generation prices shared by all customers, a JCP&L spokesman said last week. Under the plan, residential customers were to see an increase of 9 cents per every kilowatt-hour over 2,500 kWh per month. Rates were to decrease by 3 cents per month between October and May. Slightly more than 80,000 customers would have been affected by the surcharges, according to JCP&L. TET.