Audit: Juneau utility didn't overcharge consumers

JUNEAU, ALASKA - A new audit says a Juneau utility did not overcharge consumers during the power crisis caused by an avalanche in April.

On April 16, avalanches knocked out the transmission lines supplying Juneau's cheap energy from the Snettisham hydroelectric plant.

That forced Alaska Electric Light & Power Co. to use expensive diesel-fueled generators for a month and a half, and rates went up nearly five-fold.

Mayor Bruce Bothello asked an independent Juneau auditing firm to see if the emergency rate hike was proper.

Bothello says he's satisfied with the audit's conclusions that the company did not overcharge customers. The power company paid for the audit.