South Eastern Indiana Natural Gas Co. Planning Rate Increase; Consumer Comments Invited

The proposed rate increase would impact consumers in Dearborn and Ripley counties.

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(Southeast Indiana) - If you want to comment on South Eastern Indiana Natural Gas Company’s proposed rate increase, you are invited to do so.

South Eastern Indiana Natural Gas Co. is seeking the rate increase due to higher operating and maintenance costs, and to pay for infrastructure improvements including new meters, main replacements, automated pressure monitoring, improved mapping, and additional improvements. .

Their proposal would raise monthly residential bills as follows:

Each residential gas bill includes a monthly $13.13 customer service charge which does not vary based on usage. It would rise to $18 under the utility’s request, with the remaining bill varying by customer usage.

Base distribution rates comprise 34 percent of a typical customer’s residential natural gas bill. They cover “non-gas” costs such as operating and maintenance expenses and capital infrastructure improvements. The remainder of the typical monthly bill pays for the natural gas itself, which the utility recovers on a dollar-for-dollar basis subject to OUCC review and IURC approval every three months.

South Eastern Indiana Natural Gas Co. has filed this case through the IURC’s Small Utility Filing Procedure, which is designed to reduce the time and expense involved with regulatory filings for utilities with fewer than 8,000 customers.

A settlement agreement is possible in any legal proceeding; such an agreement, if reached, would require IURC approval.

Current base rates received IURC approval in 2018 for more than 2,000 South Eastern Indiana Natural Gas Co. customers in Ripley and Dearborn counties.

Consumers who wish to submit written comments for the case record may do so via the OUCC’s website at www.in.gov/oucc/2361.htm, by email at uccinfo@oucc.IN.gov, or by mail at:

Public Comments
Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC)
115 W. Washington St., Suite 1500 SOUTH
Indianapolis, IN 46204

The OUCC needs to receive all written consumer comments no later than August 8 so that it can consider them in preparing its testimony and file them with the Commission to be included in the case’s formal evidentiary record.

Comments should include the consumer’s name, city, zip code, and a reference to either “IURC Cause No. 46074-U” or South Eastern Indiana Natural Gas Co. Consumers with questions about submitting written comments can contact the OUCC’s consumer services staff toll-free at 1-888-441-2494.