Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced Wednesday that intervention by his Office of Rate Intervention before the Kentucky Public Service Commission saved Kentuckian’s millions of dollars in proposed natural gas rate increases.
In June, Cameron’s office reports Atmos Energy Corporation filed an application with the PSC seeking a $4.9 million or 2.8 percent net rate increase. If granted, that request would have reportedly increased the average residential ratepayer’s natural gas bill by 9.6 percent.
Attorney-General Cameron said his officer intervened in this case to reduce the proposed utility rate increases and monthly customer charges for Kentucky customers in central and western Kentucky. He noted their efforts saved Kentuckians $2.3 million in proposed natural gas rate increases, which is 47 percent less than the amount requested by Atmos.
The attorney general also argued that monthly residential customer charges should be increased due to the devastating tornadoes that struck parts of central and western Kentucky. His office said the PSC agreed with this position and denied the company’s request to increase monthly residential service fees.
Atmos is the nation’s largest natural gas-only distributor and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company’s Kentucky division is located in Owensboro and serves 176,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 37 counties in Kentucky, including Caldwell, Christian, Crittenden, Hopkins, Lyon and Trigg.
