Judge refuses to dismiss Alabama lawsuit over solar panel fees
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit against the Alabama Public Service Commission over fees it allows Alabama Power to charge customers who use solar panels to generate some of their own electricity.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled Monday that a group of homeowners and the Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution can pursue a lawsuit challenging the fees as a violation of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, a 1978 law that promotes renewable energy production.
The fees, $27 per month on a 5kW solar system, are charged to customers who are hooked up to the Alabama Power grid but also use solar panels to generate a portion of their electricity.
Alabama Power has maintained that the stand-by fees are needed to maintain infrastructure to provide backup power when the panels aren’t providing enough energy. Environmental groups argue that the fees improperly discourage the use of home solar power panels in the sun-rich state.
“We will continue our efforts to require the Commission to follow the law and not allow Alabama Power to unfairly charge customers who invest in solar,” Christina Tidwell, a senior attorney in the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Alabama office, said in a statement.
Tidwell said the “unjustified fee” erodes customers’ expected savings and makes it “impractical to invest in solar power.”
The Public Service Commission and Alabama Power had asked Thompson to dismiss the lawsuit. They argued the federal court did not have subject-matter jurisdiction.
A spokesperson for Alabama Power said the company, as a matter of practice, does not comment on pending legal matters. The Public Service Commission also declined to comment.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2021 rejected the environmental groups’ request to take enforcement action against the Public Service Commission. However, two members of the five-member panel issued a separate statement expressing concern that Alabama regulators may be violating federal policies designed to encourage the development of cogeneration and small power production facilities and to reduce the demand for fossil fuels.
Pentagon says it’s cutting ties with ‘woke’ Harvard, ending military training
Amid an ongoing standoff between Harvard and the White House, the Defense Department said it plans to cut ties with the Ivy League — ending military training, fellowships and certificate programs.
‘Washington Post’ CEO resigns after going AWOL during massive job cuts
Washington Post chief executive and publisher Will Lewis has resigned just days after the newspaper announced massive layoffs.
In this Icelandic drama, a couple quietly drifts apart
Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason weaves scenes of quiet domestic life against the backdrop of an arresting landscape in his newest film.
After the Fall: How Olympic figure skaters soar after stumbling on the ice
Olympic figure skating is often seems to take athletes to the very edge of perfection, but even the greatest stumble and fall. How do they pull themselves together again on the biggest world stage? Toughness, poise and practice.
They’re cured of leprosy. Why do they still live in leprosy colonies?
Leprosy is one of the least contagious diseases around — and perhaps one of the most misunderstood. The colonies are relics of a not-too-distant past when those diagnosed with leprosy were exiled.
This season, ‘The Pitt’ is about what doesn’t happen in one day
The first season of The Pitt was about acute problems. The second is about chronic ones.
