A newly proposed rate schedule was the subject of almost three hours of public comment at Monday's Douglas PUD commissioner's meeting.

While most of those in attendance at the crowded meeting were members of the cryptocurrency community, there were also about a dozen public officials as well as residential customers.

At the heart of the issue was a rate schedule increase that crypto miners say would put them out of business within a year. Data centers would also see a rapid increase in their rates.

On the other side of the coin, the PUD will eventually be forced to buy power off of the market at a rate two to three times greater than what the PUD produces at Wells Dam.

Wells Dam is also facing a necessary repair project that will cost upwards of $500 million.

Regional Port officials all spoke in favor of the data centers a crypto miners as a means of generating tax revenue within the county.

Most local residents spoke in favor of keeping their residential rates low, and several reminded the PUD commissioners that their duty was to the pubic and not a handful of high-load customers. Some residential customers, mainly employees of the operations, did voice concerns about restricting economic growth.

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