Press Release

PUC Reminds Consumers of June 11 Registration Deadline for Public Input Hearings on Columbia Gas Rate Increase Request

Published on 6/8/2021

Filed under: Gas

Telephonic Hearings Scheduled for June 14 and 16, to Gather Input from Columbia Gas Customers and Other Concerned Parties

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today reminded consumers and other concerned parties about the June 11 registration deadline for a series of four mid-June telephonic hearings to gather public input on a rate increase request filed by Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania.

Columbia Gas provides natural gas distribution services to approximately 436,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in portions of 26 counties across western and south-central Pennsylvania. They are seeking an overall revenue increase of approximately $98.3 million per year. Under this proposal the monthly bill for a residential customer using 70 therms per month would increase from $100.77 to $115.37 (14.49%).

If you wish to testify at one of the telephonic public input hearings, please pre-register by 10 a.m. on Friday, June 11, 2021. If you do not pre-register and provide the information listed below, you may not be able to testify. Individuals will testify in the order in which they pre-register. 

PUC Public Input Hearings

Four telephonic public input hearings are scheduled for the following dates and times:

• Monday, June 14, 2021
  Hearings will begin at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
  
  
• Wednesday, June 16, 2021
  Hearings will begin at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

PUC Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge Mark A Hoyer will preside over the hearings.

Signing Up for the Public Input Hearings

Interested persons may pre-register by email or by phone. 

To pre-register by email, please email Judge Hoyer’s legal assistant, Nick Miskanic, at nmiskanic@pa.gov, and provide:  your first and last name, the date and time of the hearing at which you wish to testify, the phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing, and if you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter. 

To pre-register by phone, please call Judge Hoyer’s office at 412-565-3550 and leave a message providing: your first and last name, the date and time of the hearing at which you wish to testify, the phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing, a phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing if we need to contact you, your email address, if you have one, and if you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter. 

If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible. If you request an interpreter, we will make every reasonable effort to have one present. 

The relay service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 800-654-5988.

If you need assistance pre-registering to testify, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide all the information listed above.  Additionally, if more than one person in your household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household, but all the information must be provided for each individual.

If you do not wish to testify but want to listen to the public input hearing(s), please contact Judge Hoyer’s office by email at nmiskanic@pa.gov or phone at 412-565-3550 and provide your name and the hearing(s) you want to listen to so we can ensure we have adequate caller capacity on the conference bridge to accommodate all callers.

Offering Testimony at a Public Input Hearing

The PUC offers tips on how to participate in a public input hearing, including:

• Prepare what you are going to say beforehand. Even though it is not required, you may want to write out your statement, which can be read.
• Any formal testimony that is offered during the hearing will become part of the record on which the PUC will issue its final decision.
• Understand that parties in the case may want to ask you a question to clarify something you said.
  
  

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC’s website at www.puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Docket No.: R-2021-3024296

Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov