Columbia Gas

After months of negotiations, Columbia Gas of Ohio reached a preliminary compromise with some state regulators and some consumer advocates to raise its rates.

It’s been a quarter of a century since Ohio separated the sale of natural gas from the charge to deliver it. That opened the door for suppliers to sell the fossil fuel directly to customers using a distributor’s infrastructure.

Charity groups often depend on utilities for funds to do good works, but rate hikes by those utilities can impose more stress on low-income people the nonprofit groups serve.

In the first of a three-part series, WOSU explores Columbia Gas of Ohio's request to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to grant the company $200 million more a year in profits for its operation in Ohio, where it is the largest distributor of natural gas. Financial records show the utility's parent company NiSource is profiting and growing while seeking increased rates in the six states it operates in.

Columbia Gas of Ohio is asking the Ohio Public Utilities Commission to approve nearly tripling the flat, monthly distribution charge 1.4 million customers pay before the cost of natural gas usage is added to the bill.

A fine against a gas company will be halved in exchange for the company using safety programs to help prevent the kind of explosion that leveled an Upper…

Officials of Ohio schools and local governments are breathing a sigh of relief today. That's because the state supreme court has ruled against the…