National Fuel Gas raising rates 4.2 percent in Pa.
National Fuel Gas raising rates 4.2 percent for about 214,000 customers in Pennsylvania
ERIE, Pa. (AP) -- About 214,000 customers of National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. in northwestern Pennsylvania will see a rate increase for the second straight quarter.
The Buffalo, N.Y.-based utility says the 4.2 percent increase that takes effect Thursday will raise the average customer's monthly bill from $76.81 to $80.04.
The utility raised rates 4.2 percent in August, after three straight quarterly decreases that dropped the average monthly bill to $73.45, a 10-year low.
The company says the increase is driven by the rising cost of gas, after roughly two years of record-low costs due to increasing supplies from drilling in the Marcellus shale formation.
National Fuel officials says customers are still paying almost 6 percent less for gas than they were at this time last year.
National Fuel Gas serves customers in 14 northwestern Pennsylvania counties.
