OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.--A bus load of Mississippi Power Company customers were expected to take the ride to the capital city today to protest what may average out to be a $31 per customer, per month rate hike in their power bills, thanks to the cost overruns at the Kemper County Coal Plant.

News Mississippi spoke with the Sierra Club, the plant's key opposition, Monday. They told us residents were coming to attend a hearing by the state's Public Service Commission.

"Representatives from the NAACP, the AARP, STEPS Coalition, Mississippians for Affordable Energy, and the Sierra Club will offer testimony concerning the severe impacts of the proposed rate increases on low-income families, people with disabilities, the elderly, and small businesses in the Mississippi Power service area," said a press release from the Sierra Club.

Mississippi Power has said the plant is necessary and has defended the rate increase, which is expected to help cover construction costs.

The company is months and millions behind, according to the Sierra Club.