MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has opened an investigation of the rate increase requested by Young Brothers, Limited (Young Brothers). The PUC is required to complete its review within six months.

Young Brothers requested approval to increase its revenues by $14,404,000, or by 23.97 percent over current revenues. Young Brothers states that “a rate increase is essential to sustain YB’s ability to continue providing universal and frequent services to its customers.”

More detail about Young Brothers’ application can be found on the PUC’s website, www.puc.hawall.gov, on the Select Dockets page (See Docket No. 2010-0171).

“The PUC must investigate any regulated company’s request for rate increase to ensure that the proposed rates are just and reasonable. We will carefully review this request and its impact on the public and evaluate its fairness. I encourage those affected to participate in this process and provide input for the Commission’s consideration,” said Hermina Morita, Chair of the PUC.

Anyone wishing to formally intervene in this proceeding must file motions with the PUC by July 7, 2011, pursuant to the PUC’s order and rules. However, intervention is not the only means to provide comments to the PUG on the matter.

Written comments from the public on Young Brothers’ application will be accepted by the PUC via email at Hawaii.PUC@hawaii.aov or via U.S. Post at:

Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
465 South King Street, Room 103
Honolulu, HI 96813

In addition, the PUG will hold public meetings throughout the State to take comments from the public. Dates and times for the public meetings will be published in a separate Notice of Public Meetings in newspapers throughout the State.

The parties to the proceeding are Young Brothers and the Division of Consumer Advocacy of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, which represents, protects, and advances the interests of consumers of utility services before the PUG.

About the PUC:

The PUC is responsible for regulating all chartered, franchised, certificated, and registered public utility companies that provide electricity, gas, telecommunications, private water and sewage, and motor and water carrier transportation services in the State. The PUC was established in 1913 by Act 89, SLH 1913, as a part-time, three member body with broad regulatory oversight and investigative authority over all public utility companies doing business in the Territory of Hawaii. This act, amended over the years and codified in Chapter 269, HRS, is the basis for utility regulation in Hawaii. Today, the PUC is a full-time body comprised of three Commissioners. The Governor, with the consent of the State Senate, appoints the Commissioners. Each Commissioner serves six-year terms on a staggered basis.

About the Consumer Advocate:

The Division of Consumer Advocacy (DCA) is a state agency established to protect and represent consumer interests before the PUC, the Federal Communications Commission, and other local and federal agencies. The DCA assists and represents customers of utility services as a whole rather than a single customer or select group of people. Each time a utility company wants to increase rates or take some other kind of significant action, by law, they must seek permission to do so by filing an application with the PUC. The DCA reviews the application to determine whether the utility company’s request is reasonable and in the best interest of consumers and then makes its recommendations to the PUC. The Executive Director of the DCA is appointed by Director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.