Monday, March 16, 2026

PUC Schedules 10 Hearings On Proposed UGI Utilities 8.05% Natural Gas Distribution Rate Increase Starting March 30

On March 16, the
Public Utility Commission announced a series of 10 late-March and early-April in-person and telephonic hearings to gather public input about the $99.368 million (8.05%) natural gas distribution rate increase request filed by UGI Utilities, Inc. – Gas Division (UGI). 

UGI provides natural gas distribution services to approximately 690,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 46 counties across Pennsylvania.

About the UGI Rate Increase Request

On January 28, 2026, UGI filed a request to increase annual operating revenues for natural gas distribution service of approximately $99.368 million (8.05%).

On February 19, 2026, the PUC formally suspended the proposed rate change to allow for a full investigation into the lawfulness, justness, and reasonableness of the proposed rates, as well as UGI’s existing rates, rules, and regulations.

Under the proposal, the average monthly bill for a residential customer using 68.7 hundred cubic feet (Ccf) of natural gas would increase from $113.64 to $123.55 per month (8.7%).

A final PUC decision is due by October 29, 2026.

PUC Administrative Law Judges F. Joseph Brady and Alphonso Arnold III will preside over the hearings.

Documents related to this case are available at PUC Docket No.: R-2025-3059523

Public Input Hearings

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

-- Monday, March 30, 2026 – Lancaster County

Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.

Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.

Manheim Township Public Library, Morgan Center         

595 Granite Run Drive         

Lancaster, PA 17601

-- Wednesday, April 1, 2026 – Luzerne County

Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.

Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.

Wilkes-Barre Township Fire Department, Fire Hall 188

152 Watson Street

Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702

-- Monday, April 6, 2026 – Lehigh County

Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.

Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.

City of Allentown, Council Chambers

435 Hamilton Street

Allentown, PA 18101

-- Tuesday, April 7, 2026 – Berks County

Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.

Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.

Dunn Community Center

4565 Prestwick Drive

Reading, PA 19606

Telephonic Public Input Hearings

Call-in telephonic public input hearings will be held at the following date and times:

-- Friday, April 3, 2026 – Call-in telephonic public input hearings

Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.

Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.

NOTE: Pre-registration for the telephonic hearings is encouraged by April 2, 2026.   

To participate in the telephonic hearing, callers must do the following:

-- Dial the toll-free Conference number – 1-877-874-1047

-- Enter the PIN number when instructed - 11738422

-- Speak your name when prompted, and press #.

== Then, the telephone system will connect you to the hearing.

Participating in a Telephonic Public Input Hearing

To testify at a telephonic public input hearing, you are encouraged to pre-register by 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2026. 

Pre-Registering for the Telephonic Input Hearings

To pre-register for a telephonic input hearing call PUC Legal Assistant Pamela McNeal’s office phone at 215-560-4228 or by email at pmcneal@pa.gov  and provide the following information:

-- Your first and last name.

-- 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 it is necessary to contact you.

-- Your email address, if you have one.

Failure to pre-register for a telephonic public input hearing could result in you not being called to testify by the PUC Judge.   

Assistance with Pre-Registration

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 by providing the PUC Judges’ Legal Assistant with the above listed information for each individual. 

Hearing Exhibits

If you have any hearing exhibits to which you will refer during the hearing, please email them to the Legal Assistant, at pmcneal@pa.gov.   The PUC Judge will forward your exhibits to all the parties. 

Exhibits for any in-person public input hearing must be received by the Legal Assistant by 10 a.m. the day prior to the date of the public input hearing that you intend on testifying at.

Exhibits for the telephonic public input hearings must be received by the Legal Assistant by Thursday, April 2, 2026, by 10 a.m.

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 application, please contact the OCA toll free at 1-800-684-6560 or by email at consumer@paoca.org

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.

Click Here for the PUC announcement.

Related Articles This Week:

-- PUC Schedules 10 Hearings On Proposed UGI Utilities 8.05% Natural Gas Distribution Rate Increase Starting March 30  [PaEN] 

-- PUC Sets Hearings On Proposed National Fuel Gas 7.4% Rate Increase Starting March 31  [PaEN]

[Posted: March 16, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

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