Columbia Gas of Virginia filed a motion with the Virginia StateCorporation Commission (SCC) last week to extend its pilot programthrough Oct. 1, 2000. The two-year program is set to expire inOctober of this year. The SCC said no date has been set for aruling on the filing.

Columbia Gas said it is seeking the extension because of theprogram’s popularity and because it anticipates statewide customerchoice to be initiated next year. In the two years since theprogram started, 7,750 or 29% of eligible participants haveswitched to one of nine suppliers. The program is available to atotal of 26,500 customers residing in Manassas, Manassas Park andCulpeper, Fairfax, Greene, Loudon, Louisa, Madison, Orange andPrince William counties. Washington Gas also has an active pilotprogram in Northern Virginia as well.

“The strength of the program’s acceptance in northern Virginiais the best endorsement for its expansion to Columbia Gas ofVirginia’s customers statewide,” said David Bowman, manager of theLDC’s customer choice program. “The suppliers are offering acompetitive menu of pricing options and other incentives, andthat’s great news for [our] customers.”

Mike Anderson, a Columbia spokesman, said the company isshooting for a 50% participation rate by the year’s end. “We arethrilled with the 30%, especially when you factor in the fact thatVirginia has had two straight mild winters. For this being a brandnew concept in Virginia when we started, the numbers make us veryexcited.”

Anderson said Columbia was a leader in last winter’s successfulpassage of State Sen. Charles Colgan’s (D-Manassas) gasderegulation bill. One of the stipulations of the bill prevents anyof Virginia’s LDCs from requesting the SCC expand their pilotprograms statewide until the year 2000. Anderson said Columbia isbiting at the lip to do so. “We are very confident to have thisextension passed. Once we do that, we can continue offering choicealmost until 2000. We intend to go back to the General Assembly inearly 2000 and ask them to re-enact the deregulation legislation.If that occurs, then we can petition the SCC to let us expandchoice to our entire customer base.”

The Chesterfield County-based Columbia Gas of Virginia is asubsidiary of Columbia Energy Group. It delivers gas to 178,000customers in portions of northern Virginia, Fredricksburg, theShenandoah Valley, the Lynchburg region, and suburbs of Richmond aswell as other parts of the state.

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