On March 27, 2026, Peoples Gas filed a request to increase annual operating revenues for natural gas distribution service of approximately $163.2 million (13.8%).
Under the proposal, the average bill for a residential customer using 86 Mcf per year of natural gas would increase from $122.20 per month to $138.23 per month (13.1%).
In its filing, Peoples Gas stated that the requested increase in its base rates is necessary to allow it to earn a fair return on investments used and useful to continue to provide safe and reliable service to the public and to support its infrastructure modernization programs designed to enhance safety and reliability.
Peoples Gas also stated that this revenue increase is essential to attract the investments necessary to operate and maintain safe, reliable, and customer-focused natural gas distribution services.
The action by the Commission suspends the rate increase request for up to seven months, and the case will now be assigned to the PUC’s Office of Administrative Law Judge (OALJ) for an investigation and recommended decision.
The OALJ’s investigation will include public input hearings to gather testimony from concerned consumers and interested stakeholders. Dates, times, and locations for those hearings will be detailed in future PUC press releases.
Customers are encouraged to follow the case and learn more about how to participate in the ratemaking process through resources available on the PUC’s website.
A final PUC decision is due by December 26, 2026.
Documents related to this case are available at PUC Docket No.: R-2026-3060855.
Click Here for the PUC announcement.
PA Oil & Gas Industry/Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - April 4 to 17: Failed To Restore 5 Water Impoundments For 3,197 Days; Software Glitch Leaks 704,000 Gallons Of Fresh Water; 166,729 Gallons Recovered From Wastewater Spill [PaEN]
-- DEP Investigating Possible Software Malfunction That Released An Estimated 704,000 Gallons Of Fresh Water From Coterra Energy Shale Gas Water Impoundment In Springville Twp., Susquehanna County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Frontier Natural Resources Failed To Restore 5 Water Impoundments At 3 Shale Gas Drilling Sites In Clinton County For 3,197 Days [PaEN]
-- TheDerrick.com: Who Will Pay The Water Bill? Aqua Pennsylvania Is 'Evaluating Its Options’ For Recovering Money It Spent Operating The Venango Water Company From Oil & Gas Well Owner After Wastewater Spill [PaEN]
-- Residents Around MarkWest Harmon Creek Natural Gas Cryogenic Processing Plant In Washington County Urge DEP To Deny A New Air Quality Permit Because Of Frequent, Ongoing Black Smoke, Incomplete Combustion Violations At The Plant’s Natural Gas/Chemical Flare [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - April 18 [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues 2nd Air Quality General Permit For Diesel-Fired Nonroad Engines At Homer City A.I. Data Center Campus In Indiana County
-- DEP published notice in the April 18 PA Bulletin announcing the rescission of the Standards and Guidelines for Identifying, Tracking and Resolving Oil and Gas Violations technical guidance and posting a Standard Operating Procedure with the same name and posted on DEP’s website.
-- DEP published notice in the March 28 PA Bulletin announcing the rescission of a technical guidance document Civil Penalty Assessments in the Oil and Gas Management Program and posting with separate Civil Penalty Assessment Standard Operating Procedures for conventional oil and gas well owners and shale gas well owners that have now been posted on DEP’s website.
-- DEP Posted 76 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In April 18 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Renewal Of Wastewater Permit For Restart Of Constellation Energy’s Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant In Dauphin County [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Water Encroachment Permit For Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission, LLC Project To Rebuild Power Lines To Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant In Dauphin County [PaEN]
-- DEP Accepting Comments On Stormwater Permit For SNA North LLC/QTS A.I. Data Center Project In Salem Twp., Luzerne County [PaEN]
-- DEP published notice in the April 18 PA Bulletin inviting comments on an Individual Stormwater permit covering 25.87 acres of the Keystone Appalachian Transmission Company (FirstEnergy) Stoney Springs Junction 138kV transmission line project located in Salem Twp., Westmoreland County. (PA Bulletin, page 2143)
Related Articles This Week - Energy:
-- House Energy Committee Reports Out GeoThermal Energy, Advanced Transmission Technology, Energy Financing Authority Bills [PaEN]
-- PA House Passes Bills To Develop Model Zoning Ordinance To Help Local Governments Regulate, Mitigate The Impacts Of A.I. Data Center Developments; Report Water, Energy Use [PaEN]
-- PA House Blue-Green Labor, Environmental Caucus Endorses 9-Bill Package To Expand Clean Energy Generation, Strengthen Workforce [PaEN]
-- Spotlight PA: Gov. Shapiro Repeats Threat To Pull Pennsylvania Out Of PJM Regional Grid Operator, If Electricity Costs Keep Rising
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - April 20 [PaEN]
-- Shapiro Administration Secures $14 Million From US DOE For Enhanced GeoThermal Systems Pilot Demonstration Project In Indiana County [PaEN]
-- US Dept. Of Energy Announces $14 Million To Support DEP Project For Enhanced Shale Gas Well GeoThermal Demonstration In Pennsylvania [PaEN]
-- Report: President Canceled 28.2 Gigawatts Of US Electric Generation- Funding For 13 Gigawatts Lost In Pennsylvania- In Face Of Unprecedented A.I. Data Center Demand, Grid Reliability Concerns [PaEN]
-- DEP Linkedin: Oil & Gas Program Sets Inspection Record In 2025, Including 5,213 Wells Never Inspected Before, Responded To 674 Complaints, Incidents [PDF of Article]
-- Mountain Watershed Association Appeals 90% Reduction In Mine Subsidence Damage Bond For Rustic Ridge Coal Mine In Westmoreland, Fayette Counties From $3.1 Million To $292,679 [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Watershed Low-Flow Conditions Trigger Stop To Shale Gas Drilling Water Withdrawals At 19 Locations, 13 More Approaching Restrictions [PaEN]
-- PA House Passes 3rd Natural Gas Safety Bill After Fatal Reading Chocolate Factory Explosion [House Bill 1522]
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: PA Electric Utilities Appreciate ‘Market Signals,’ But Not Market Prices; Some Utilities Want More Direct Role In Securing Power, Managing Prices For Customers
-- PECO Withdraws Proposed 12.5% Electric, 11.4% Natural Gas Rate Increases From PUC Consideration [PaEN]
-- PUC Opens Investigation Into UGI Electric Proposed 12.8% Rate Increase [PaEN]
-- PUC To Investigate Proposed 13.1% Rate Increase Request by Peoples Natural Gas [PaEN]
-- PUC Modifies UGI Gas Settlement To Require More Direct Support To Customers Impacted By Improper Service Terminations
-- PUC Marks April As Safe Digging Month
-- Penn State Extension Hosts Anaerobic Digestion On The Farm Conference, June 9-11 [PaEN]
-- PennFuture June 4 Energy Dialogue 2026 - Growing A Sustainable Energy Economy In Pennsylvania To Be Held In Hershey [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension Energy Essentials News: Data Centers Q/A; National Biogas Conference; Tips For Picking Reputable Solar Developer
NewsClips:
-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Philadelphia Gas Works Proposed LNG Natural Gas Plant Replacement In Port Richmond Neighborhood Now In Limbo
-- Reuters: Williams CEO Says PA-NY Constitutional Natural Gas Pipeline Could Be Online In 2027
-- EPA, DOE, DOI Break Ground On Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement Natural Gas Pipeline Taking PA Gas Into New York City
-- The Guardian: Top Oil, Natural Gas Companies Set To Make An Extra $234 Billion By End Of 2026
-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: As Tech Groups Predict Huge Pennsylvania A.I. Data Center Growth, Critics Say Some Bills Would Reduce Local Control; One State Senator Plans 3-Year Moratorium
-- PennLive/LehighValleyLive: Republican Sen. Coleman Calls For Giving Local Governments Authority To Put A Moratorium On A.I. Data Centers While They Revise Zoning Ordinances
-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: Electric Transmission Line Company Wants Authority To Condemn Property From PA PUC For Proposed Power Line In SW PA To Feed A.I. Data Centers In Virginia
-- Gov. Shapiro Demanded, And PECO Withdrew Its 12.5% Electric, 11.4% Natural Gas Rate Increase Saving PA Consumers $510 Million
-- WHYY: PECO Withdraws Its Rate Hike Case After Backlash From PA Governor, Lawmakers
-- Inquirer: PECO Withdraws Request For Double-Digit Rate Hike, After Facing Backlash
-- Post-Gazette: Solar Energy Facility To Help Offset Energy Costs Of 4 Pittsburgh Schools
-- LancasterOnline: Muddy Run Pump Storage Hydroelectric Plant To Test Warning Sirens In Lancaster, York Counties April 23
-- Center For Rural Pennsylvania April 17 Hearing On A.I. Data Centers, Coolidge Theatre At The Deane Center, Wellsboro, Tioga County
-- Breathe Project - April 20 Webinar On When Air Kills - Pittsburgh’s Hidden PM2.5 Particulate Toll, 7:00 p.m.
-- Better Path Coalition To Host May 13 A.I. Data Centers Virtual Town Hall Meeting, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
-- The Hill: US DOE Secretary Predicts Energy Prices May Rise, Hit Peak In ‘Next Few Weeks’
[Posted: April 16, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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