New Brownsville PUB statement raises questions over money collected from failed energy project
Related Story
A newly released statement from the Brownsville Public Utilities Board discusses the origins of the failed energy project that an audit alleged overcharged customers by $118 million.
The Tenaska energy project was originally “a great vision for Brownsville,” according to the release, which also provided a breakdown of the funds collected by Brownsville PUB.
Brownsville PUB stated nearly $114 million was collected from the increased rate hikes that started in 2013.
Of those funds, $11.3 million went to the city of Brownsville, $73.4 million went to the bill reduction program, $30 million went to project costs and $29 million went to Tenaska equity fund.
Officials are discussing getting the money from the equity fund back to customers, and the amount for the bill reduction program is being audited by an outside group for verification.
RELATED: Brownsville PUB planning to return $29 million to customers following failed energy project
The figures in the statement total up to $144 million, despite Brownsville PUB stating in the release they collected $114 million.
Channel 5 News is reaching out to Brownsville PUB over the $30 million difference.
The news release is an attempt to fix the lack of communication from Brownsville PUB.
“What can't be disputed is that the project wasn't built, and customers should have been kept better informed,” the release stated.
News
