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Thanks to Pennsylvania American Water for a $500 grant that will help Mt. Lebanon Fire Department purchase new cribbing and shoring equipment to help with confined space rescues. Pictured is firefighter Ed Davies with Jo Posti, the water company's public affairs specialist.A couple of things:
- The check is for $1500, not $500.
- Another PA American Water Company grant that is biased. Steve Posti is a volunteer for the Fire Department. Not that I have a problem with the Fire Department getting a grant or that Mr. Posti is a volunteer fireman, but...
9 comments:
This is nice for the fire department but where does this public utility get the money to hand out these grants? PAWater is essentially a monopoly, if I don't like the fees I pay for water being used to give organizations checks I don't have a choice.
Jo gets to make a big grandstand with the money we PAWater customers pay in our water bill.
The next time we get a rate increase remember some of it may be going to another community.
PAWater isn't the only utility that does this.
I can see LiHeap and some of the other initiatives, but does affluent Mt. Lebanon need a grant when some communities can't even afford to keep their volunteer fire departments afloat?
"Pennsylvania Volunteer Departments Struggle to Exist"
http://my.firefighternation.com/m/discussion?id=889755%3ATopic%3A5163024
5:41. Dig a well!
PAWC has given out 30 of these grants to local responders so far this year that are in the PAWC service area. The check is actually $500. The other $1,000 is for the SHACOG Technical Rescue Team.
5:41. Obviously you don't have a choice. Would you want taxpayers to pay for the underground lines for you to have such a choice?
I'll give you an option, terminate your water service and purchase bottled water. Absurd your complaint!
While these Posti checks make you feel so cozy with PAWC keep them in mind when they appeal to the PUC for rate hikes to repair their infrastructure.
"States Grant Utilities Extra Rate Increases By Jim Malewitz, Staff Writer
Under intense pressure from Wall Street, public utilities in a growing number of states are charging customers upfront for costly upgrades to aging gas, water and electric systems. It’s a shift in financial obligation that’s rankling consumer advocates, who say companies are shirking their basic responsibility to keep infrastructure up to date."
http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/states-grant-utilities-extra-rate-increases-85899433007
9:27: Thanks for clarifying, Josephine.
12:29 nice try!
You're right I don't have a choice and no I'm not asking for taxpayers to pay for additional lines to provide me with a choice.
We can now choose our telephone supplier, our electricity supplier and gas supplier. We don't have separate power or gas lines do we? So why would we need separate water lines? Try opening your mind just a little bit!
The other issue is why can't we just pay for clean water and it's delivery? I imagine PAWC gets the money it uses to deliver grant checks from the money it takes in from its customers.
If you're happy with PAWC taking a buck from you to hand out to someone they choose good for you.
I believe also that PAWC has asked for rate hikes for fire hydrant water service in several communities. Posti could confirm this or correct the info.
12:29 since you don't seem to be able to think things through, I give you a little hand.
"PA Power Switch - Pennsylvania electric and natural gas
On January 1, 2011, the last electric rate caps expired in the Pennsylvania electric choice market, signaling true competition was finally active in the Pennsylvania energy market. Today, Pennsylvania electric customers can choose to receive their electricity supply from their utility, or an alternate energy provider. Pennsylvania is one of the most robust competitive energy markets as customers can also elect to choose their natural gas provider.
PA power switch is owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (http://www.puc.state.pa.us/ ), which balances the needs of consumers and utilities to ensure safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protect the public interest; educate consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; further economic development; and foster new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.
The PA Power Switch website lists rates and plans from all competing electric and natural gas companies in Pennsylvania. Since it is open to all competing energy companies, the list and navigation is quite cumbersome and does not insure consumers are picking from financially stable and reputable electric companies."
Tell me how many gas and electric lines did we need to install to make choice available?
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