Court Says No To Florida Utility Charging For Drilling Plan

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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) —  Florida's Supreme Court ruled the state's largest utility is not allowed to make customers pay for costs associated with natural gas drilling in another state.

The court ruled 6-1 on Thursday that state regulators were wrong to permit Florida Power & Light to charge customers for its investments in an Oklahoma natural gas drilling project that relies on fracking.

FPL has said the investment would help it stabilize fuel prices and save its customers money in the long haul.

But Justice Ricky Polston, who wrote the opinion, said it was "overreach" by the Public Service Commission to give a greenlight to FPL's plans because state law limits what costs can be passed on to customers.

Justice Charles Canady was the lone dissent on the ruling.

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