The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) and Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania recently reached a partial joint settlement that increases Columbia’s rates but not as much as originally requested.
The PUC capped the overall change at $74 million in additional revenue annually, 40 percent less than Columbia’s $124.1 million request. Columbia sought a rate increase of 15.88 percent for the average residential customer using 70 therms of natural gas monthly. The settlement decreased that to 9.06 percent, effective Dec. 14.
The settlement extends Columbia’s pilot Weather Normalization Adjustment program until its next base rate case, and includes measures to enhance affordability programs and expand outreach efforts.
Columbia will increase its annual Low Income Usage Reduction Program budget by $800,000 beginning in 2026.
The company will focus on outreach to customers at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level negotiating payment arrangements, customers eligible for waived or refunded security deposits when enrolling in the Customer Assistance Program (CAP), and customers eligible for CAP’s arrearage forgiveness benefits.
In addition, the commission rejected a proposed municipal levelization charge. The proposal would have placed either a charge or credit on bills based on the permitting and restoration fees municipalities charge.
Columbia serves approximately 445,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers.