{"id":4432,"date":"2015-01-23T13:27:37","date_gmt":"2015-01-23T19:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=4432"},"modified":"2015-01-23T14:01:36","modified_gmt":"2015-01-23T20:01:36","slug":"despite-protest-icc-allows-chicago-area-gas-companies-to-hike-rates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/despite-protest-icc-allows-chicago-area-gas-companies-to-hike-rates\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite protest, ICC allows Chicago area gas companies to hike rates"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Bethel Habte<\/p>\n

Despite a visible and vocal opposition at a public hearing Wednesday, the Illinois Commerce Commission<\/a> granted two major area gas companies rate increases after Jan. 28, by a vote of 3 to 1.<\/p>\n

After reviewing Peoples Gas<\/a>\u2019s request to increase natural gas delivery system rates by $129 million, the commission approved a $74.8 million hike. North Shore Gas<\/a> originally requested a $7.1 million increase, but the commission approved a $3.7 million increase.<\/p>\n

With the new rates, the average Peoples Gas residential heating customer could pay approximately $2.70 to $2.75 more per month while an average North Shore Gas residential heating customer could pay approximately $1.05 to $1.10 more per month.<\/p>\n

In a February 2014 press release, Integrys Energy Group Inc., the parent company of both companies, cited the polar vortex in 2014 as one reason behind the request to raise rates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe harsh Chicago winter we\u2019re experiencing has demonstrated the need to continually ensure our natural gas delivery system is resilient, safe and reliable,\u201d stated Will Evans, Jr., president of both North Shore and Peoples Gas.<\/p>\n

Integrys\u2019s profits<\/a> increased in 2014 to $83.3 million from $38.1 million in 2013, or 118 percent.<\/p>\n

Prior to the vote, several citizens voiced their opposition to any increase. The small chamber overlooking LaSalle Street held about 40 people and about a dozen wielded protest signs.<\/p>\n

After taking many pauses in her allotted three minutes to compose herself, life-long Chicago resident and Peoples Gas customer Mary Bailey explained that the company shut off her service in June 2014 because she could no longer keep up with payments, and the lack of heat caused other problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to the cold weather earlier this month\u2013 the furnace, the pipes and most of the radiators burst,\u201d she said. \u201cI have no running water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bailey implored the commission to reject the increase and take more steps to ensure that utilities are affordable and widely available.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommissioners, it is expensive to be poor,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd another rate increase only makes it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FullSizeRender-3-640x372\"<\/a>
Life-long Chicago resident Mary Bailey delivered an emotional speech before the ICC. Bailey was one of more than a dozen citizens protesting the rate hikes. (Bethel Habte\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though the rate increases passed, Commissioner Sherina E. Maye noted that the ICC would be granting Peoples Gas $35.371 million less than what it requested and North Shore Gas $1.226 million less. Peoples Gas originally requested $129 million and North Shore Gas originally requested $7.1 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough based on our decision today it may appear to some citizens that we did not consider the effect a rate increase would have on the public, please know that we considered the public interest in every way possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Virginia Miller, operations manager for the Midwest Workers Association, declared that the commission\u2019s trims to the gas companies\u2019 requests were not enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe demands of our members assembled were very clear which were reject any rate increase, roll back the rates, reconnect service for all, stop the shutoffs,\u201d she said. \u201cThe position of our members is clearly that the rates are already too high.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller was heartened by Commissioner Miguel Del Valle\u2019s lone vote in opposition to the increase.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never seen a commissioner vote against one of these rate increases,\u201d she said. \u201cThe fact that one commissioner voted against and three of them addressed this and addressed our concerns, tells me that we are making progress in terms of bringing the needs of the people to the fore in this state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo at top: Citizens carried signs into a public meeting of the Illinois Commerce Commission Wednesday to protest natural gas rate increases. The commission voted 3-1 in favor of the increases. (Bethel Habte\/Medill)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Bethel Habte Despite a visible and vocal opposition at a public hearing Wednesday, the Illinois Commerce Commission granted two major area gas companies rate increases after Jan. 28, by a vote of 3 to 1. After reviewing Peoples Gas\u2019s request to increase natural gas delivery system rates by $129 million, the commission approved a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nDespite protest, ICC allows Chicago area gas companies to hike rates - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/despite-protest-icc-allows-chicago-area-gas-companies-to-hike-rates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Despite protest, ICC allows Chicago area gas companies to hike rates - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Bethel Habte Despite a visible and vocal opposition at a public hearing Wednesday, the Illinois Commerce Commission granted two major area gas companies rate increases after Jan. 28, by a vote of 3 to 1. 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