CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Over 600 gas customers in West Virginia across 22-contes may soon be forced to give up their natural gas service which is produced on their property.
The state PUblic Service Commission on Friday set the schedule for hearings in a case filed back in August by Hope Gas. The petition seeks to convert those who use the “farm-tap” gas system to either propane fuel or electric heat for their homes.
Hope says the current condition of the pipelines which feed those homes are unsafe, unreliable, and/or uneconomical for the company to continue to maintain, operate, or replace. Hope Gas hopes to provide those customers with propane or electric heaters and would pay for the installation and supply of propane in the future.
The petition says the proposal would impact 479 customers of Hope Gas and another 150 customers of third party customers Diversified Gas and Oil Company, Pillar Energy, Noumenon Corp., and Pine Mountain Inc. The affected counties are Barbour, Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Jackson, Kanawha, Lewis, Marion, Mason, Monongalia, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Taylor, Tyler, Upshur, Wetzel, Wirt and Wood Counties.
Affected customers will be notified by mail and will be allowed to comment. The PSC’s Consumer Advocate Division along with Diversified Energy Company, PLC, and the Gas and Oil Association of WV all filed petitions to intervene on behalf of Hope Gas’ customers, which were all granted. Those comments can be made on the proposal by mail or online. The PSC has set an evidentiary hearing for December 9th.
