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Nicor Gas has filed a $309 million rate hike proposal with the
Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).
According to the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), Nicor
last increased rates by $228 million in December 2023. With the
2023 rate hike, Nicor’s charges for gas delivery to customers
more than doubled in the span of six years.
The ICC is in the midst of a “Future of Gas” proceeding to
consider the future of gas utilities in Illinois given the
state’s goal of economy-wide 100% clean energy usage by 2050.
“I think they anticipate the current business model is going to
change so they’re working to raise rates as fast as they can,”
said Illinois PIRG Director Abe Scarr.
As Nicor’s fifth request in the past decade, the rate hike would
go down as the largest in Illinois history.
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is also rallying against the
proposal, noting that Nicor has received a total of about $724
million in rate hikes since 2018.
“CUB will challenge this unfair rate hike – we urge state
regulators to slash Nicor's reckless spending and hold the
company accountable,” said CUB Executive Director Sarah
Moskowitz. “Gas is unsustainably expensive and it threatens our
health and climate. State officials must begin to plan for the
long-term transition away from gas to heating alternatives that
are cheaper, safer and more reliable.”
If approved later this year, the rate hike would raise the
average person's bill by about $7.50 each month.
Nicor issued a statement regarding the rate hike request.
“Many Americans are facing challenging times, and no one wants
to see rising energy bills. We want our customers to understand
their bills and why the company is requesting to adjust rates
that would allow Nicor Gas to meet those energy demands,
especially during extreme weather,” the statement read.
The ICC has 11 months to review rate hike proposals. |
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