Copper Valley Electric Association members can breathe a little bit after getting blindsided by rate increases last month.  During their regular meeting, yesterday (Thursday), C-V-E-A Board members approved a 500-thousand dollar fuel cost assistance credit toward residential power bills through May.  The credit is worth 5-point-97 cents per kilowatt hour.  That brings the cost of power from 25-point-3 to 19-point-4 cents per kilowatt hour. 

C-V-E-A members got a shocker from finding a rate hike in last month’s bills.  The cooperative cited the cost of fuel and hydro generation as reasons for the hike.