Blunt, Nixon fight natural gas costs

Gov. Matt Blunt’s office, along with the Missouri Public Service Commission and the Missouri Energy Development Association, have agreed to waive all utility reconnection fees and suspend deposit requirements for customers who receive Low-Income Energy Assistance Program or Utilicare assistance.

Blunt initiated the discount to offset natural gas costs, which could rise as much as 71 percent from last winter’s prices for Midwest customers. About 57 percent of Missouri homes are heated with natural gas.

The waived fee program is in effect from Nov. 1 to March 31.

The Low-Income Energy Assistance Program allocates federal funding to states for utility costs. Utilicare is authorized by state statute and will be funded by a portion of the sales tax revenues resulting from higher natural gas prices.

On Monday, Attorney General Jay Nixon filed to intervene in a Public Service Commission investigation into natural gas distribution companies.

If Nixon is allowed to intervene, he will conduct an investigation of his own into investor-owned natural gas companies and their compliance with state regulations. Companies are required to make attempts to mitigate sharp price increases and keep rates reasonable.

“Because the state and its agencies are major consumers of utility services, including natural gas, the state has a significant interest in this investigation,” Nixon said in a news release. “What’s good for the state’s budget will be good for the consumers’ budget.”