BLOOMINGTON, ILL. (AP) -- A plan by a Bloomington-based electric cooperative to raise money for charity by automatically billing customers for small donations on their monthly statements has aroused the concern of the attorney general's office.
Earlier in January, Corn Belt Energy enrolled its central Illinois members in Operation Round Up. The program "rounds up" electric bills to the nearest dollar, and local charitable organizations can then apply for a portion of the extra money raised.
Corn Belt first introduced the idea in November. Customers learned of the automatic enrollment and opt-out guidelines in a newsletter with their January bill.
Spokeswoman Natalie Bauer says the attorney general's office plans to look into the specifics of the program, how it is operated and how members were notified.
Corn Belt spokesman Dave Hawkinson says of 32,600 Corn Belt members, 2,000 have opted out of the program so far.
(Copyright ©2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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