Lawsuit divides Westminster’s electric power supplier

A lawsuit filed last month in Newberry has the potential to divide a long time consortium of electric cities that derive their power supply through ownership in part of a nuclear reactor. Westminster is a member city of the Piedmont Municipal Power Agency, but its mayor says his city has no part in the legal squabble and anticipates it will have none. Both Westminster and Abbeville are the only PMPA electric providers are not included in the lawsuit—either as plaintiffs or as defendants. The lawsuit plaintiffs are the cities of Laurens, Newberry, Easley, and Gaffney; defendants are Clinton, Rock Hill, Greer, and Union. The main allegation is that potential votes for a planned rate change were negotiated in a vote buying scheme. Westminster Mayor Brian Ramey told 101.7/WGOG NEWS: “We are aware (of the lawsuit) but actually have no firm position on either side at this time. This is between the 8 largest cities and we’re on the sidelines with Abbeville for now. We don’t foresee any involvement on our part.”