Pre-trial hearing in lawsuit dividing electric power cities

A Newberry County courtroom is scheduled to be venue next month for a pre-trial hearing in a lawsuit that places some member cities of Piedmont Municipal Power Agency at odds with other member cities. The hearing is scheduled November 13. PMPA is the long-time wholesale electric power supplier for the city of Westminster, but the Oconee municipality is not a party on either side of the case. As Mayor Brian Ramey told us in July: “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.” Plaintiffs in the case are Newberry, Laurens, Gaffney, and Easley; the defendants are Rock Hill, Greer, Clinton, and Union. The PMPA cities pay for an amount of electricity that each member of the consortium receives as its proportionate share of the output of a nuclear reactor. The plaintiffs allege a vote-buying scheme on the part of the defendants “to force the institution of a new cost and electrical utility rate upon PMPA to the benefit of Rock Hill and Greer, but the detriment of several others of the PMPA members.”