Dec. 17 – dbeard @dominionpost.com MORGANTOWN – Hope Gas is at odds with Public Service Commission and Consumer Advocate Division staff over how quickly it plans to abandon Red Lines and cut up to 629 farm tap customers in 22 provinces to switch to propane or electricity should unfold.
Hope is eyeing an evidentiary hearing in mid-February, which would precede a PSC order. PSC staff, with CAD agreement, are looking at mid-August.
CAD cites public input gathered at three recent town halls to support the longer timeline.
“These were productive exercises that CAD honestly believes Hope could and should have undertaken with each affected customer before filing the petition to convert the customer’s service to propane.” it said. “The actual number of customers who would potentially need to be converted to propane could be significantly reduced. It was also clear that customers currently receiving natural gas services are satisfied with the reliability of their gas service by a wide margin. and would prefer to continue receiving natural gas services if possible.”
The majority of attendees opposed conversion, CAD said, and had questions about the safety of propane and its effects on their property values.
Hope Gas is proposing to leave the Red Lines – which it previously acquired from Equitrans and Dominion Gathering and Processing – in place or transfer them to other companies. Hope purchased about 3,000 miles of pipeline, it said, serving about 14,800 farm customers.
Hope said some of those lines – about 1,068 miles – are no longer needed or useful, and that providing safe, reliable, economical service to farm customers along those lines is in jeopardy because the existing service is “either unsafe, unreliable.” . , uneconomic, or a combination of the three.”
CAD noted that the lines in question are not only served by farm tap customers, but are also used by producers to collect and transport gas to market and to other customers, including free gas customers.
The town halls were held in Clarksburg, with about 80 people in attendance; Weston, with 50-60 in attendance; and Grantsville, with about 85 attendees, CAD said.
Most were hearing about Hope’s plan for the first time, CAD said, and wanted more access to maps. No maps were presented, but Hope helped interested parties display their service locations on an interactive map.
CAD said Hope is willing to hold more meetings with individual clients, but only after PSC approves its plan. “The CAD believes that this approach would be backward and does not adequately protect customer rights. … The CAD believes that the interests of all parties would be better served if normal preliminary discussions between the utilities had taken place producer and pipeline customers came forward before the petition was even submitted for Commission review and approval.”
PSC staff in the proposed timeline calls for Hope to submit a proposal identifying 10% of the total proposed Red Line miles for a pilot project by Friday. Identify lines with other nearby natural gas sources by February 20 to prevent customers from switching to propane.
Physically visit each customer’s home by March 20 to determine if propane conversion is possible. The evidentiary hearing was scheduled to take place from August 13 to 14.
CAD noted that Hope does not appear to object to a pilot project, but still wants the review process to proceed relatively quickly.
“The CAD supports the committee staff’s approach because it provides the opportunity for additional and timely participation and input from affected customers and manufacturers, without unnecessarily and unnecessarily delaying the identification and abandonment of lines that truly serve no useful purpose.”
The Gas & Oil Association of West Virginia is also involved in the case and supports the extended timeline.
“These are new, complex matters with major consequences,” said Go-WV. “For the fourth time, Hope has proposed a highly compressed procedural schedule that it alone believes is adequate to address these complex, novel and consequential issues. The public interest requires more time and more attention for the concerned public to participate meaningfully and receive leadership. of the complex factual background, and become involved in devising solutions that best advance the public interest in this state.”
Hope told the PSC that it plans to submit additional testimony on or around December 20, proposing some additional detailed processes and procedures.
But she sees the staff’s timeline as unreasonable. Delays will benefit certain producers along the Red Lines, but not Hope’s customers, “who must bear the continued and increasing costs of operating, maintaining and – the longer shutdown is deferred – the costs of replacing Red Lines , if necessary, to keep them safe and reliable. services to all affected farm tap customers.”
Hope noted that as a result of the town hall meetings, the company has committed to further meetings at the request of certain provincial commissions, and to setting up a dedicated team to respond to questions received by phone and email.
The PSC, Hope said, could grant Hope’s request under terms that Hope will propose in its Dec. 20 filing.
