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Meadows resident Ruth Glahn crochets wheelchair blankets

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Chick-fil-A to make new roost at Lucky’s Sporthouse in Wilkes-Barre Township

<p>Increases proposed by UGI Utilities Inc.&#8217;s natural gas operations could raise rates for customers later this year.</p><p>The company Monday filed its request for a $71.1 million base-rate hike for infrastructure improvements and operational costs with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. It also notified the PUC of a higher cost to purchase natural gas on the wholesale market. The purchased gas cost rate has no markup and generates no revenue for UGI that passes on the higher cost to consumers.</p><p>If approved in total, UGI projected the following increases:</p><p>&#8226; The monthly bill for a residential customer bill using 90.6 hundred cubic feet of natural gas per month would climb to $97.37 from $89.72 or 8.5 percent, based on a 5.2 percent increase in the distribution rate and a 3.3 percent increase in the purchased gas cost rate.</p><p>&#8226; A commercial customer using 31.2 thousand cubic feet monthly, a 17.4 percent jump to $283.01 from $241.11, based on a 13.1% increase in the distribution rate and 4.3 percent increase in the purchased gas cost rate.</p><p>&#8226; An industrial customer using 88.1 thousand cubic feet monthly, an 18 percent jump to $731.35 from $619.90, based on a 13.3 percent increase in the distribution rate and 4.7 percent increase in the purchased gas cost rate.</p><p>The filing includes over $1.0 billion in investments for system infrastructure, facilities and information technology which are not yet included for recovery in current rates.</p><p>&#8220;We are currently investing over $350 million annually in capital projects to upgrade our distribution and technology systems,&#8221; said Paul Szykman, UGI&#8217;s chief regulatory officer. The utility is in the process of installing all contemporary materials in its pipelines.</p><p>In addition, UGI wants to consolidate its three districts covering a total of 45 counties across the state into one. Its North District covers 15 counties in northeastern Pennsylvania and was formerly UGI Penn Natural Gas.</p><p>UGI has asked that the base rate increases go into effect on March 29. But a decision isn&#8217;t expected until October to allow the PUC up to nine months to review the request and schedule public hearings.</p><p>The proposed distribution rate increases will be mitigated by an extension of the temporary federal tax credit. UGI said customers&#8217; bills will be reduced by 4.5 percent with a 12-month extension following the effective date of the rate increases.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Staff report</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta></shirttailMeta></div>

UGI files for natural gas rate increases with the PUC