Letter to the Editor: "Alliant Energy Acted Irresponsibly"

(The following Letter to the Editor has been submitted by Jim Martin-Schramm of Decorah):

"I think the citizens of Decorah should know what the Iowa Utilities Board said about Alliant Energy's behavior during the municipalization referendum period.  The following is excerpted from the Board's final decision and order in Alliant's recent electricity rate case:

'In addition, the actions taken by IPL [Alliant Energy] in opposition to the Decorah municipalization effort demonstrate a lack of management efficiency by withholding from and not providing to the citizens of Decorah accurate information about anticipated rate increases. Because a rate-regulated electric utility is a monopoly in its service territory, it has a duty to be transparent and to provide accurate information to customers and communities in that service territory. The evidence in this case regarding IPL's behavior during the Decorah municipalization campaign shows that IPL did not fulfill this responsibility and failed to meet the expected standard of conduct for a regulated monopoly. The facts of the study performed by CEA [Concentric Energy Advisors] with regard to costs to residents of Decorah may have been true at the time of the study; however, there was further information with regard to timing of rate cases and expected rate increases that was known prior to the municipalization vote. IPL's management decided not to share, incorporate or update its messaging with Decorah residents. The lack of transparency and misrepresentation in the Decorah municipalization vote is of significant concern to the Board.' (Iowa Utilities Board Final Decision and Order, RPU-2019-0001, pg. 103)

Alliant Energy withheld accurate information from the citizens of Decorah and misrepresented the information they did provide.  The company acted irresponsibly and failed to meet the expected standard of conduct for a regulated monopoly.  These are not unsubstantiated claims by those who lost the referendum; they are the views of the Iowa Utilities Board."