Consumer advocates and environmental groups protested in downtown Chicago against a proposed increase in gas rates. On Thursday, they delivered more than 10,000 signatures to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) on a petition urging it to reject a request from Peoples Gas. The company wants to raise its rate revenue by $144 million. If the regulator approves the full increase, the average household bill would rise by $7 to $8 a month starting in 2027.
Peoples Gas Wants a Rate Increase, and Protesters Demand Changes
Demonstrators marched through downtown Chicago and then submitted the collected signatures during a public meeting of the Illinois Commerce Commission. That body will decide whether to approve, reject or modify the Peoples Gas request.
The company, which supplies natural gas to nearly 900,000 customers in Chicago, initially asked in January to raise its rate revenue by $202 million. It later lowered the requested amount to $144 million.
In early October, the commission’s administrative law judges presented a proposed ruling recommending that the increase be limited to $66.2 million. Opponents of the request argue, however, that even that amount is too high.
The commission is expected to make its final decision in November.
Dispute Over Replacing Chicago’s Gas Pipes
One of the main points of contention is Peoples Gas’ multiyear program to replace aging gas pipes running under Chicago’s streets.
Activists want the program to end in its current form and be replaced with solutions that do not require such extensive work on gas infrastructure. They also want the most dangerous sections of the network to be prioritized.
Peoples Gas representatives argue that the investments are necessary to retire about 1,000 miles of old pipes, as required by the regulator’s guidelines.
A company spokesperson rejected the protesters’ allegations, saying their actions are political in nature. He also argued that the proposed changes aim to promote the complete electrification of heating, which the company said could be costly for property owners and less reliable.
Representatives of environmental organizations respond that switching to electric heating involves various upfront costs but may be cheaper in the long run. They also point out that electrification will be needed to meet the state’s climate goals.
More and More Customers Struggle to Pay Their Bills
Consumer advocates point to residents’ growing difficulty paying their heating bills.
According to the latest state data cited, from September, nearly one in five Peoples Gas customers was at least 30 days behind on payments.
The situation is especially difficult for seniors, who often keep their homes warmer because of health problems and whose main source of income is retirement and social benefits.
During the protest, representatives of the Citizens Utility Board and the Illinois Public Interest Research Group said that rising heating costs are placing an increasing burden on household budgets.
The financial results of WEC Energy Group, the owner of Peoples Gas, have caused additional controversy. Its third-quarter report showed a 43.5 percent increase in shareholder earnings compared with the same period last year.
Peoples Gas, however, rejected linking the financial results of the entire group to the situation of customers in Chicago. The company noted that WEC Energy operates in four Midwestern states and that the increase in earnings stemmed, among other things, from weather conditions and the activity of large commercial customers in Wisconsin.
Source: Polski.FM
