05/15/2026
UPDATE 14/MAY/2026: Steve New and his team have officially filed the lawsuit challenging a recent decision by the West Virginia Public Service Commission that approved additional electric cost recovery charges and new rate adjustment mechanisms for Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power customers.
The folks filing the appeal argue that the PSC approved these increases without providing enough evidence, transparency, or explanation to prove the rates are fair and reasonable for West Virginians.
The appeal focuses on several different charges and recovery mechanisms that have been added onto customer bills over time, including infrastructure cost recovery, vegetation management charges, broadband-related surcharges, ENEC-related recovery, and a new inflation-based rate adjustment system.
In plain language, it just means Appalachian Power has been adding more and more separate fees, adjustments, and “cost recovery” charges onto people’s electric bills over the years, and this lawsuit is arguing that the PSC has not done enough to justify or scrutinize them before approving them.
The petitioners argue that many West Virginians are already struggling to keep up with their utility bills and that the PSC failed to fully examine the real-world impact these increases would have on households across the state.
Essentially, the case is asking the court to review whether the PSC properly did its job as the agency responsible for protecting the public from unreasonable utility rates.
The appeal argues that the PSC relied on limited data, generalized assumptions, and insufficient findings when approving these charges, and that the public deserves greater accountability and transparency before more costs are passed onto ratepayers.
IMPORTANT: This lawsuit does not automatically stop the rates on its own, but it DOES seek to have the PSC’s order reversed, vacated, or sent back for further review.
At its core, this case is about whether working families, seniors, disabled residents, and everyday West Virginians are being asked to shoulder increasing utility costs without sufficient oversight, justification, or public accountability. The data we have collected over the last 6 weeks makes a hell of a case. And we aren't done collecting testimonies.
Stay tuned. If you are one of the initial plaintiffs in this case, you will be contacted by Mr. New's office. There will be more to come. Keep sending your information in. If you're interested in joining this legal fight against AEP, fill out this intake form:
https://forms.gle/5nxzHBXhvn9uBsaBA
Keep your eye out for other utilities and cases. We are in this for real. This is only the beginning. Stand firm, West Virginia. Stand tall.
⚠️We would also like to challenge the constitutionality of HB2014. We need cities and towns willing to sign on to help us fight this. If you are a city official and would like to regain your local control, believing your city or town would be up to hold the line message our page.
We're all in, but one city or town alone cannot do it.
Like everything, we will need a united front. Tag your city officials if you'd like to see your town adopt a resolution reaffirming sovereignty and challenging the provisions of HB2014. ⚠️
Montani semper liberi. In concordia, usque ad liberationem. 💕🤙🏼🌱
