MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican lawmakers want to give regulators a chance to review some We Energies contracts in a move they say could bring down electricity costs for Wisconsin manufacturers. Sen. Duey Stroebel, a Republican from Cedarburg, and other lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday that would let the Public Service Commission, the state’s utilities regulator, change or end contracts for public utilities to lease electricity generating facilities from their affiliates. It would primarily affect We Energies, which got permission from the commission in 2003 to set a higher rate of return for some contracts in exchange for building power plants in southeastern Wisconsin. Stroebel now says these rates are too high and should be subject to review.
