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GFB Services Blog
Wednesday, 8 March 2006
Katrina Fund, Alabama's Landlord-Tenant Bill and Mobile Gas Rates
Topic: Government
There were three items in today's Mobile Register that caught my eye. I read that Bayou La Batre, AL was finally getting assistance towards getting back in the shrimping industry. Bayou La Batre is normally a very productive shrimping town in South Alabama. It was severely hit by hurricane Katrina. But it should be getting some relief next month because of the efforts of past Presidents Bush and Clinton. They established The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund to help those hurt by Katrina and later by federal assistance programs that excluded them from getting back on its' economic feet. If you remember, FEMA stopped the Coast Guard from recovering shrimp boats stranded by Katrina. I applaud both Bush and Clinton for their initiatives.

The Mobile Register also reported that the Alabama House of Representatives passed the Landlord-Tenant Bill yesterday. This is an important step in raising the quality of life in Alabama. I understand that both landlords and tenants agreed to the final bill. The actual bill can be found at the Alabama Legislature's Web Site. You can search HB287 and read the bill in its' entirety. It is up to the Senate to approve the bill before it becomes law next year.

Also, Mobile Gas is in the news again. The PSC has been investigating why Mobile Gas is billing its customers higher rates than nearby gas distributers in Louisiana and Mississippi. The Public Service Commission mistakenly investigated whether or not meter readers were inflating customers' actual gas usage. Fortunately, PSC Commissioner George Wallace Jr is now investigating the wholesale prices (and hopefully Mobile Gas internal cost factors) that Mobile Gas pays for our gas. I got a breakdown of Mobile Gas cost factors in my current bill. It shows 14% of the billing that has nothing to do with supply costs (55%), operation and maintenance expenses (16%), nor taxes (15%). Ever since the Mobile Register published its' article comparing Mobile Gas rates v.s. nearby area rates, Mobile Gas has been sending tips on how to save on our gas bills. The one thing they missed was moving out of their jurisdiction. Most of their suggestions had to do with insulation improvements to rental housing that tenants have no control over. However, the IRS have incentives for energy efficient homes that homebuilders and homeowners can use to cut their tax obligations. Take a look at my 2/21/06 post for the IRS pdf file links.

Until next time... I am and will always be Frank

Posted by pro/gfbservices at 11:11 AM CST
Updated: Friday, 10 March 2006 9:08 AM CST
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