Press Release

PUC Schedules Hearings to Gather Public Input on Proposed Merger Involving American Water Works and Essential Utilities

Published on 3/19/2026

Filed under: Gas Water and Wastewater

Late-April and early-May in-person and telephonic public input hearings scheduled across Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has scheduled a series of in-person and telephonic hearings to gather public input about the proposed merger involving American Water Works Company (American Water) and Essential Utilities (Essential), the parent company of Aqua America and Peoples Natural Gas.

According to the application filed with the PUC, American Water and its subsidiaries provide water and wastewater services to 3.5 million customer connections, or more than 14 million people in 14 states, including Pennsylvania. Essential provides water, wastewater, and natural gas services to approximately 5.5 million people in Pennsylvania and nine other states.

In-Person Public Input Hearings

In-person public input hearings will be held at the following locations and times:

• Tuesday, April 21, 2026 – Dauphin County
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  Hilton Garden Inn Hershey
  550 East Main Street
  Hummelstown, PA 17036
  
  
• Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Chester County
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  Penn State Great Valley Conference Center
  30 Swedesford Road
  Malvern, PA 19355
  
  
• Wednesday, April 29, 2026 – Washington County
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  Washington County Crossroads Center
  95 West Beau Street
  Washington, PA 15301
  
  
• Thursday, April 30, 2026 – Lackawanna County
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  Radisson Scranton
  700 Lackawanna Avenue
  Scranton, PA 18503
  
  
• Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – Montgomery County
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  The Liberty Complex at King of Prussia
  260 Mall Boulevard
  King of Prussia, PA 19428
  
  
• Thursday, May 7, 2026 – Clarion County
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  PennWest Clarion University
  840 Wood Street
  Clarion, PA 16214

For in-person hearings, pre-registration is not available.  Individuals wishing to testify at an in-person hearing must sign up at the venue.

Administrative Law Judges Emily I. DeVoe and Ann Quimby will preside over the hearings.

Telephonic Public Input Hearings

• Tuesday, April 28, 2026
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  Toll-free Bridge Number: 888-547-8922
  Passcode Number: 74903461

If you wish to testify at one of the telephonic public input hearings, preregistration is encouraged but not required.  Failure to pre-register, however, may result in you not being called to testify. If you choose to pre-register, you may pre-register by Noon on Monday, April 27, 2026.

You may pre-register by email or by phone.

To pre-register by email, email the Presiding Officers’ Legal Assistant, Cadi Eberly, at caeberly@pa.gov, and provide the following:

• Your first and last name.
• The time of the hearing at which you wish to testify.
• The phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
• If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.

To pre-register by phone, please call the Administrative Law Judges’ office at 412-565-3550 and leave a message providing the following:

• Your first and last name.
• The 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.
• If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.
  
  

Assistance with Pre-Registration

If you need assistance pre-registering to testify for a telephonic hearing, 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 we will need the information for each individual.

Requests for Interpreters

If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible. If you register too close to the hearing date, we may not have enough time to arrange for an interpreter. If you request an interpreter, we will make every reasonable effort to have one present. TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 711.

Hearing Exhibits

If you intend to present any documents or exhibits at a public input hearing, you must email one copy to the Presiding Officers via their Legal Assistant, Cadi Eberly, at caeberly@pa.gov, and one copy each must be sent to every active party listed in the attached parties’ list – included in the hearing notice. 

All copies must be received by Noon the business day immediately before the hearing.  Proposed exhibits should be properly pre-marked for identification purposes.

Questions

The Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) represents the interests of utility customers before the PUC.  If you have questions about the public input hearings or the Company’s requested rate increase, please contact the OCA toll free on 800-684-6560 or by email at consumer@paoca.org.

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 puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on X, 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 Nos.:
A-2025-3058927
A-2025-3058928
A-2025-3058929

Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov
• David Hixson
  Deputy Press Secretary
  717-772-2766
  dhixson@pa.gov