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Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania seeking rate increase

By Mike Tony mtony@heraldstandard.Com 2 min read
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Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania is looking to implement a base rate increase, according to a request it filed last week with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC).

If approved, the request would result in the average total bill for a residential customer who purchases 70 therms of gas per month increasing from $91.63 to $99.88 (9 percent).

The rate increase request is the company’s first since 2016, when the PUC approved a 7.34 percent increase for a residential customer purchasing 70 therms of gas per month. Columbia Gas had requested a 12.47 percent increase.

The PUC commissioners may approve, reject or modify Columbia Gas’s rate increase request, said Dave Hixson of the PUC Office of Communications, noting that the commissioners will likely suspend and investigate the request.

An administrative law judge will determine a litigation schedule that will include input hearings in which members of the public can weigh in on Columbia Gas’s request.

Columbia Gas is seeking an overall revenue increase of $46.9 million per year, or 8.16 percent, according to its filing with the PUC.

The average total bill for a small industrial customer who purchases 1,328 therms of gas per month would increase 31.52 percent from $1,089.47 to $1,432.90 monthly, according to Columbia Gas.

Columbia Gas Communications Manager Lee Gierczynski said the company is hoping for a final order from PUC regarding its request by the end of 2018.

Columbia Gas plans to invest $274 million in Pennsylvania in 2018, with more than $215 million dedicated to upgrading aging underground infrastructure throughout the 26 Pennsylvania counties where it provides natural gas service.

The rate increase would allow Columbia Gas to continue to upgrade and replace the company’s underground natural gas distribution pipelines, according to the company.

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