Public intervenor gives thumbs up to planned changes at NB Utilities Board

FREDERICTON, N.B.- Changes being made to strengthen the role of the province's Energy and Utilities Board are getting a thumbs up from public intervener Dan Theriault.

In particular, Theriault is fond of the changes that will see cabinet's role diminished. It would no longer able to reverse or modify EUB rate decisions.

He says New Brunswick is one of the last provinces to relinquish that control.

He also noted that having the EUB review all rate increase requests regardless of size will help keep NB Power accountable. "Right now the way NB Power has operated for a number of years is if they needed more than three percent....they would simply impose the three percent and no one was the wiser and we didn't know why they needed it", Theriault says. "This way it will ensure ratepayers will know why the increases were necessary.

Theriault says some opposition to the notion that the utility will need to go before the board for increases as low as 1% can be countered by the fact that the hearings will likely be reduced in length because of their regularity.