Two major natural gas utility providers have asked the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to decrease retail rates substantially on Nov. 1. Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities is looking at a 14.5% drop, while Intermountain Gas Co. has proposed a 5.7% annual decrease. Both utilities have made filings to the PUC under their annual purchased gas adjustment rate procedure that annually attempts to square up the utilities’ rates with the latest cost of gas. In the case of combination utility Avista, there were separate fuel adjustment filings for both power and gas pointing toward rate decreases, largely tied to low wholesale natural gas costs nationally. For MDU Resources Group‘s Intermountain Gas utility, the PGA called for a 5.7% drop in charges, or $15.3 million.