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A Regulator’s Viewpoint on Lake Country Power’s Vote on MPUC regulation

Letter to the Editor;

I recently attended Lake Country Power’s annual meeting on June 5th as an invited guest to serve on a panel to discuss the pro’s and con’s of having the Minnesota Public Utility Commission regulate Lake Country Power.

From 1998 until 2008 I served on the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and ended my ten year term as its Chairman. I currently reside in Princeton, Minnesota and am a member of the East Central Electric Cooperative. Additionally, I lived on the Iron Range and worked for the Reserve Mining company from 1960 until 1969. I have a lot of fond memories of this area.

Regarding the upcoming vote on MPUC regulation, members of LCP need to know what the MPUC can and cannot do for the cooperative. In determining a requested rate increase for example, the MPUC does not come in and look at how a cooperative is operated, how many employees it has, or how much equipment it owns. The MPUC looks at the financial information provided to determine if those numbers look reasonable. The five MPUC commissioners have lawyers and accountants to assist in the due diligence to determine if a rate increase is fair and reasonable compared to other similar businesses.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission primary purpose is to insure that investor owned companies are not charging their customers more than a fair rate so that the shareholders get a larger than necessary rate of return. There is a lot of pressure on an investor owned company and its CEO to make the bottom line look good so they can pay the shareholders. The MPUC makes sure that the shareholder does not get an unfair rate of return at an unreasonable cost to the ratepayer. In the case of Lake Country Power, the members are also the shareholders, so that concern does not exist. The nine board of directors of Lake Country Power serve its members much like the MPUC would. Your locally elected Board of Directors have a fiduciary responsibility to provide safe, reliable and low cost electricity. If members of LCP feel that their Board of Directors are not doing their job, then members have the right to vote them out of office and put in new directors. As a member of a cooperative I would be personally concerned with the fact that the MPUC is not answerable to the members of the cooperative and that they are bound by the decisions of the MPUC, whether they like it or not. The MPUC commissioners are appointed by the governor. There is only one member from the rural area.

If Lake Country Power chooses to be regulated by the MPUC, the cost of that is added to your rates. When the MPUC sets rates which the members feel are too high they have no recourse other than to go to court which is an additional expense and local control is lost.

I understand why some members of LCP are concerned about rising electric rates. It affects all of us. Environmental mandates on a State and Federal level are causing rates to go up and will continue to cause rates to rise in the future. As a member of your local electric cooperative I encourage you to get involved. You have a voice and you will be heard.

Mr. LeRoy Koppendrayer
Princeton, MN

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Star Gazing

Moose Lake Area Celebrate Recovery Open House

Tuesday, Sept. 14th at the Moose Lake Covenant Church. Dinner at 5:45 pm. Group begins 6:30 pm. Call Linda at 218-206-4376 or Gary at 218-485-4640 with questions.

Annual Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction

Blackhoof Firefighters Relief Association Saturday Sept. 11th from 7: am to 10: am, Blackhoof Fire Hall on Cty Rd. 5

Antique Appraisals

By Steve Wesely of Cresent Auctioneering at the Moose Lake Civic Center on Tuesday September 13th, 1:00 pm.

Moose Lake Area Historical Society Fall Fundraiser

Sunday Sept. 19th at Holy Angels 6:00 pm Social 7:00 Dinner, you get tickets at The Depot or call Natalie 485-4679 or Ross 485-4159

Junior Bowling at Gamper’s

Leagues will start on Tuesday Sept. 14th or Wednesday Sept. 15th after school. Contact: Ellen/Edda 485-6024

The Willow River Presbyterian Church

Will be serving a sloppy joe lunch from 9AM - 4PM during the City Wide Garage Sales on September 11. A free will offering will be taken and all proceeds will go to the school band to help fund their trip to NYC.

St. Mary's Annual

Fall Smorgasbord

Sunday, September 12th. Serving from 11:am to 1: pm St.Mary's Center, Willow River, MN

Rebel Flag Football

Grades 3-6
Registration Sept. 11th , 9am
Location: Practice Field ¼ mile south of ALCO Dept Store Cty Rd 10 next to soccer fields

Fall Story Times begin

at Cloquet Public Library

Preschool Story Times (ages 3-5) 10 am., Wednesdays, beginning Sept. 15 thru Dec. 1. LapSit Story Times (ages 0-2) 10 a.m., Thurs., beginning Sept. 16 thru Dec. 2. Join us for stories, song, play and good times.
Also hosting afterschool matinees at 3:15 p.m. on the third Thursdays, beginning September 16. Info, call 879-1531.

Sampo Beach Association will hold their annual Mojakka Day

Saturday, September 11th from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. In addition to the Mojakka lunch there will be music by Mae and Marie, a quilt raffle, bake table, door prizes and flea market. Lunch is $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for children 10 years and under. Sampo Beach is located at 7095 Saginaw Road, Saginaw MN 55779.

Hope Salad Luncheon

All women in the community are invited to a salad luncheon at Hope Lutheran on Thurs. Sept. 16th

The Gathering Grove

701 5th St., Moose Lake. A community based wellness drop-in center. Open 9-3 Mondays & Thursdays. Seniors & all adults welcome!

Dedication of the

monument to Moisés

To be held at the site in Moose Lake on Sat. Sept. 11, 2010 at 10 am. Please park at the hockey arena lot across from the site. Dedication will be held rain (snow) or shine.

To all Classmates of MLHS

class of 1958

Our 52nd reunion will be held at Gampers in Moose Lake on October 9, 2010 at 1:00 PM. We will be ordering off the menu, so please do not send any money. Please RSVP to Elva Johnson Anderson
1695 Liberty St Mora, MN 55051 320-679-0332 or email at emandy@msn.com

Library on Wheels,

ALS Bookmobile Schedule

The 2010 summer reading season is here. Visit your library on wheels, the Arrowhead Library System bookmobile. Local stops and times include:
Tuesday; August 10, 31; September 21
Wright - School    1:15 - 1:45
Cromwell - Main Street    2:00 - 2:45
Mahtowa - Store    3:45 - 4:30

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