Columbia’s proposal would increase annual revenues by $110.5 million – raising monthly residential gas bills by more than 11% for typical customers.
The hearings give residents and businesses an opportunity to speak directly to the PUC before a final decision is made later this year.
In-Person Public Input Hearings
A total of four (4) in-person public input hearings will be held in this proceeding – two in-person hearings in Washington County followed by two in-person hearings in York County.
Those hearings will be held at the following locations:
-- Tuesday, June 3, 2025 – Washington County (two hearings), Washington County Crossroads Center, Meeting Room G-16, 95 West Beau Street, Washington, PA 15301. The hearings will begin at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
-- Wednesday, June 11, 2025 – York County (two hearings), The York County Office Building, 2401 Pleasant Valley Road, York, PA 17402. The hearings will begin at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Telephonic Public Input Hearings
-- Wednesday, June 4, 2025-- Two telephonic public input hearings will be held at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. PUC Administrative Law Judges Jeffrey A. Watson and Chad L. Allensworth will preside over the hearings.
Click Here for instructions on participating in the hearings and submitting comments.
Columbia Proposed Gas Rate Increase
On April 24, 2025, the Commission voted 5-0 to investigate Columbia’s proposal to increase its annual operating revenues for natural gas distribution service by $110.5 million (12%).
Under the proposal, the total monthly bill for a residential customer using 70 therms per month would increase from $138.52 to $154.29 – an increase of 11.4%.
The proposed changes outlined in Columbia’s filing include a Revenue Normalization Adjustment mechanism to stabilize revenue regardless of fluctuations in customer usage; continuation and expansion of energy efficiency programs for residential and small commercial customers; and the establishment of an Economic Development Distribution Service tariff aimed at supporting large-volume customers.
A final PUC decision is due by December 19, 2025. Columbia provides natural gas distribution service to approximately 445,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in 26 counties across its Pennsylvania service territory.
Click Here for the PUC announcement.
Related Articles This Week:
-- Rise Of The Machines: Senate, House Members Express Concern That Demand For Power To Run Computers Is Impacting The Price And Availability Of Electricity For ‘Ordinary People’ [PaEN]
-- US EIA: US Natural Gas Prices Double Last Year Due To LNG Exports, Demand Driving Electricity Prices Higher This Summer [PaEN]
-- North American Electric Reliability Corp.: Record Load Growth From Data Centers, High Temperatures Expected To Strain Electric Grid This Summer [PaEN]
-- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Summer Electricity Assessment Sees Adequate Generating Resources To Meet Normal Operating Conditions; Higher Natural Gas Prices Driving Electricity Prices Higher [PaEN]
-- Environmental Defense Fund Blog: Another Study Identifies Health Risks During Unconventional Oil & Gas Production Even For Those Living Within 1,000 Feet Or More Of Wells [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues RFP For Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging Services On Time & Materials Basis As Needed [PaEN]
-- US House Republicans Eliminate Funding For The Federal Methane Emissions Reduction Program, Including PA's MERP Grant Program To Plug Conventional Oil & Gas Wells [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Approves Shapiro’s Energy Plan Tax Credit Bill
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: NRG Buys 5 PA Gas Power Plants To Meet ‘Supercycle’ Of Demand By Data Centers; Refitted To Run As Baseload Plants
-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Regional Power Grid Operator Sees Manageable Summer Peak Load, But A Slight Risk Of ‘Running Short’
-- PennLive: PPL Customers Will See Another Rate Increase June 1 - 16% [Due To Regional Electric Market Issues]
-- Financial Times: Constellation Energy, Other Companies Abandon Almost Half the Projects In $5 Billion Texas Program To Fund Natural Gas Power Plants Due To Costs, Supply Chain Delays [Sen. Yaw Wants A Program Like This In PA]
-- Olean Times Herald: EPA Hears Concerns About 2nd Proposed Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In McKean County
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Truck Hauling Shale Gas Wastewater Overturns Loses 2,000 Gallons In Stream, Driver Not Injured [PDF of Article]
-- Bucks County Beacon: Bucks County Audubon Society Showcases Its Rooftop Solar Panel Project At The honey Hollow Education Center
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Allegheny County Power Outages Make Case For Solar And Energy Storage In Public Housing - By Blawnox Apartments Tenant Council & Allegheny County Decarbonization Coalition
-- TribLive: New Kensington’s Re:Build To Boost US Production Capacity For Renewable Hydrogen In Westmoreland County
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Hydrogen Future Begins In Western PA - If We Seize It - By ConservAmerica
-- PennLive: House Approves Bill Allowing Residents To Line-Dry Their Clothes
-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy Blog: How Proposed EPA Changes Could Reshape US Clean Energy Markets
-- TribLive: President’s Planned EPA Overhaul Jeopardizes Energy Star Appliance Program
-- Utility Dive: House Congressional Republicans Proposes Early Phaseout Of Federal Clean Energy Tax Credits
-- NYT: A Clean Energy Boom Was Just Starting, Now, A Republican Bill Aims To End It
-- Reuters: US House Republicans Target Big Climate, Clean Energy Rollbacks In Budget Proposal
-- US Dept. Of Energy Slashes 47 Burdensome, Costly Regulations Setting Appliance Standards, Limiting New Energy Production, DEI Requirements For Grant Recipients
-- Reuters: US DOE Unveils Broad Rule Changes Aimed At Cutting Red Tape
-- Reuters: US, Europe Drive Global Power Plant Emissions Higher So Far In 2025
[Posted: May 15, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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