Worthington Petition Challenged Over Declaring Sewer System a Distressed Utility

Staff attorneys for the West Virginia Public Service Commission are urging commissioners to dismiss a petition concerning the town’s sewer system. The petition was filed by the town’s former mayor, seeking to declare the sewer system a distressed utility. The PSC staff argued the petition was premature and relied on what they claimed was fabricated statutory wording.

The staff noted that the petitioner claimed the commission was obligated to establish a proceeding under West Virginia Code § 24-2H-6(b). The PSC staff countered that the statute does not contain this language, and that allowing single-customer petitions to trigger automatic proceedings would force towns to face specific operational challenges.