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HomeMy Public PortalAboutExhibit RM 102 Prehearing Conference Position Statement of Robert Mueller 092811MSD 2011 Wastewater Rate Change Proceeding Prehearing Conference -September 28, 2011 Position Statement of Robert Mueller for Prehearing Conference After careful review of the various matters presented and discussed before the Rate Commission at Technical Conferences, Public Hearings and other relevant testimony, I am pleased to submit the following observations and suggestions to the Rate Commission for your consideration: 1. The whole matter of the EPA Litigation over the past four years in the US District Court and the subsequent Consent Decree which is currently under consideration places a heavy penalty and financial burden on all rate payers within the boundaries of the MSD Service Area. My assessment of the results of the Public Hearings that I have attended is that the general public is unaware, for the most part, of what is about to befall them. They find it difficult to understand the technical details of the 1972 Clean Water Act and the EPA's interpretation and enforcement actions regarding that law. Therefore, the burden of protecting the general public has fallen on you, the fifteen Members of the Rate Commission. You are not paid, it has become an extremely time consuming task, you are generally unknown for what do in this matter and likely to remain so. There will be no glory or honor attached to your efforts. In the end, there may even be criticism of your final decisions. Nevertheless, the consideration and deliberations of the testimony and facts presented to you over the past months call for a decision. I pray that your minds are sharp and your reasoning processes are keen enough to enable you to arrive at a fair and equitable decision regarding the proposed rate increase. Hopefully, the Board of Trustees will recognize the gravity of this matter and give your recommendations the serious consideration they deserve. The people who live and work in both the City and County of St. Louis are fortunate to have been given the opportunity of your service. On their behalf, I thank you one and all. 2. I have read the position statements of other Intervenors which have been submitted to you today and hereby wish to give notice that I support both their findings of fact and recommendations regarding the matter of the proposed MSD rate increase. There is no need for me to repeat what they have so eloquently set forth. Therefore, this concludes my Position Statement for this Pre - Hearing Conference. Submitted By Robert Mueller Intervenor