County Court Sends Letter to Sen. Fraser
On March 10, the Glasscock County Commissioners’ Court agreed to send the following letter, as suggested by the St. Lawrence Cotton Growers, to Texas Senator Troy Fraser.
“Dear Senator Fraser, We were very encouraged by the news that you plan to sponsor legislation to give the people of West Texas some relief from the unreasonable utility rates that have been forced upon us by our utility provider, Cap Rock Energy. The ‘monopoly’ status granted to them under the amendment to SB 7 has given them the ability to charge whatever they want to without any regulation whatsoever. For the residents of Midland, those who live in a mobile home park pay a higher residential rate than the residents of the affluent Green Tree Addition. Cap Rock also charges residents living in the rural areas outside of Midland a rate 2.5 times more than the rate charged for the same services within city limits. Kelly McBeth, Cap Rock’s spokesperson, regularly announces that many of us have the right to change utility providers, but she fails to mention that the switch over fees charged by Cap Rock are so exorbitant that they prohibit users from switching.
We sincerely appreciate the fact that you recognize the urgency of the situation and are willing to take the necessary steps to correct it. We hope that other members of the legislature will support your endeavor, and we look forward to the day when we will have the right to choose our utility provider just as other Texans do.”
The letter was signed by the county commissioners and the county judge.