Electricity charge rejected

A rate hike included in bills from the Water and Power Authority has been canceled.  The Public Services Commission said a charge for increased fuel costs could not be justified, according to a report by the Virgin Islands Daily News.  A consultant with the Commission, Jim Madan, called the hike "an enormous increase."  He said material supporting it included a "substantial amount of computational errors."  WAPA has the authority to raise rates when it expects fuel costs to rise.  But, the executive director of the agency, Alberto Bruno-Vega, conceded he expects oil prices will be dropping.  The PSC said it will review WAPA’s calculations at its meeting in January.  The agency estimated that the average residential and commercial bill would increase $6 and $15.