Atmos in February filed for five separate rate adjustments for its Pipeline, Mid-Tex and West Texas Divisions.
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Atmos in February filed for five separate rate adjustments under the Gas Reliability Infrastructure Program that allows gas utilities to increase bills with relatively little regulatory review.
New GRIP filings include those for Atmos’s Pipeline, Mid-Tex and West Texas Divisions. A noted in a separate story, the pipeline increase would add about $3.46 to bills. Find more information about that rate request on the Railroad Commission website, under Case No. 00030598.
Details of the other rate requests include:
Atmos Mid-Tex
- On Feb. 20, Atmos filed for a GRIP increase for non-city residents in the Mid-Tex area of its service territory (around Dallas and Fort Worth). Under this filing, residential customers in these “environs” areas would see their current monthly charge of $34.53 for gas service increase by $10.73 — or to $46.26. This interim rate adjustment will add $15,648,818 to the company’s annual revenues, as collected from customers in these areas of its service territory. More information about this GRIP filing can be found on the Railroad Commission website, under Case No. 00030657.
- On Feb. 20 Atmos submitted a GRIP filing for separate areas of its Mid-Tex division as served by the Atmos Texas Municipalities Coalition (“ATM”) that includes Austin, San Angelo, Round Rock, and other cities. Under this GRIP filing, the current monthly residential charge of $25.03 in these areas would increase by $10.59 ??— or to $35.62. The interim rate adjustment will add $28,201,318 to Atmos’s annual revenues, as collected from rates the ATM areas.
Atmos West Texas
- On Feb. 20, Atmos filed for a GRIP increase for non-city residents in its West Texas service territory. Under the proposal, these “environs” residential customers would see their current residential gas charge of $0.59685 per cubic meter of gas increase by $0.12541 — for an average monthly bill increase of $6.45. This interim rate adjustment will add $4,327,015 to annual revenues from rates collected in these areas of the company’s service territory. More information about this case can be found on the Railroad Commission website, under Case No. 00030658.
- On Feb. 20, the company submitted a GRIP filing for separate areas of its West Texas division served by the Amarillo, Lubbock, Dalhart, and Channing municipalities (ALDC). Under it, a current residential gas charge of $0.59685 per cubic meter of gas will increase by $0.12541 — for an average monthly bill increase of $6.45. The adjustment would add $14,693,554 to Atmos’ annual revenues, as collected from customers in the ALDC areas.
About GRIP
The Gas Reliability Infrastructure Program, or GRIP, allows monopoly gas utilities to increase rates even if the company’s overall expenditures are declining, even if its revenues are increasing or even if the company is earning windfall profits. Under the GRIP statute, a utility needs only claim it made extra capital investments and then — after some relatively pro-forma regulatory actions — it obtains the rate increase.
Regulators at the Texas Railroad Commission grant GRIP increases as ministerial acts — that is, without input from customers or cities. Neither do regulators consider offsetting savings in the utilities’ business operations or other mitigating circumstances that could have benefitted ratepayers.
Find more information about the GRIP program here.