Maine Natural Gas is seeking a rate increase as part of a proposed three-year plan that could drive customers' bills up by nearly $50 per month by 2018.
The company says it needs more than $10 million in additional revenue over the next three years to improve the safety and reliability of its distribution system, expand customer services and bring earnings in line with industry standards.
Daniel Hucko is a spokesman with Maine Natural Gas. He says a pipeline expansion project will mean the price of gas itself drops so customers won't be as impacted by rate increases as they might be otherwise.
"And then, at that point, we would increase our rates to deliver that gas," he says, "but the price of it would be lower and it would impact our customers at a much lower rate."
No date has been set for a public hearing, but at an initial case conference Tuesday, lawyers for Maine Natural Gas sought a decision from the Public Utilities Commission by Dec. 1.
The Portland Press Herald reports that Maine Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, said in its filing that a typical household's bill for distribution and supply could go from $175 a month to $220.
