A number of natural gas utilities across the United States have asked state regulators for a decrease in their rates as the winter heating season approaches, citing an oversupply of gas from shale gas development.
Avista
Articles from Avista
Avista Seeks $9.5M General Rate Increase in Oregon
Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities asked Oregon regulators last Thursday for a better-than 10% hike in its retail residential natural gas utility rates, reversing a trend in recent years in which retail gas utility rates in the state had been plummeting (seeDaily GPI,Nov. 1, 2011).
Industry Brief
Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities’ retail natural gas rates for residential customers in Ohio dropped about 5.7% as the result of periodic adjustments for changes in wholesale gas prices. The tariff was decreased from 41.8 cents/therm to 36.2 cents/therm, based on the changes approved earlier by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC), providing a decrease of about $3.46 on the average residential customer’s monthly bill. Large commercial customer rates decreased by about 7.3%. Rates are adjusted by the PUC at least once a year based on a purchased gas cost adjustment mechanism, which has shown steady decreases in recent years with the continuing fall in wholesale gas prices.