Summit Township votes to appeal sale of Butler Area Sewer Authority
SUMMIT TWP — Supervisors voted Wednesday, Dec. 6 to appeal the November decision by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission allowing Pennsylvania American Water to purchase Butler Area Sewer Authority for more than $230 million.
The township, along with Center Township, the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate and others, had contested the sale prior to the PUC’s vote. Summit and Center townships dropped the objection after the Office of Consumer Advocate dropped it following an agreement between BASA, the water company and the utility commission.
Willie Adams, Summit Township supervisors chairman, said the township only dropped the objection after the Office of Consumer Advocate dropped off the appeal. He added that he still thinks the deal is bad for all BASA customers involved, not just those in Summit Township.
“To me there is no amount of money that makes it right,” Adams said. “They get to recoup the cost of the rate increases. Once they recoup these rate increases, that rate is not going to go down.”
Butler and Butler Township are the sole incorporators of the Butler Area Sewer Authority and original investors in the wastewater system, but BASA also has customers in Center Township and East Butler borough, plus portions of Connoquenessing, Oakland, Summit and Penn townships. Only Butler and Butler Township will see money from the sale, however.
Supervisor Rick Green agreed with Adams about the township’s issues with the sale, and said the money Butler and Butler Township are going to get from it isn’t worth the trade. Adams also said he hopes to see Center Township get involved with the appeal as well, like it was prior to the PUC board’s vote.
“It’s not a good deal even for Butler city and Butler Township,” Green said.
