[email protected]

MORGANTOWN – Hope Gas is at odds with Public Service Commission staff and the Division of Consumer Advocacy over how quickly its plan to abandon its red lines and convert up to 629 tap customers should proceed farms in 22 counties using propane or electricity.

Hope has her eyes set on an evidentiary hearing in mid-February that would precede a PSC order. PSC staff, with DAC agreement, are looking at mid-August.

The ASC cites public comments collected at three recent public meetings to support the longer timeline.

“These were productive exercises that ASC frankly believes Hope could and should have undertaken with each affected customer prior to filing the petition to convert the customer’s service to propane.” he said. “The actual number of customers who would potentially need to convert to propane could be significantly reduced. It was also clear that, to a large extent, customers currently receiving natural gas service were satisfied with the reliability of their gas service and would prefer to continue receiving natural gas service wherever possible.

The majority of attendees opposed the conversion, CAD said, and had questions about the safety of propane and the effects on their property values.

Hope Gas is proposing to abandon or transfer the Red Lines – which it had previously acquired from Equitrans and Dominion Gathering and Processing – to other companies. Hope has purchased about 3,000 miles of pipeline, he said, with about 14,800 agricultural customers.

Hope said some of those lines — about 1,068 miles — are no longer necessary or useful, and that providing safe, reliable and cost-effective service to farm customers along those lines is at risk because service existing “is either dangerous, unreliable, unprofitable”. , or any combination of the three.

CAD noted that in addition to serving agricultural customers, the pipelines in question are also used by producers to collect and transport gas to market and to other customers, including free gas customers.

The public meetings were held in Clarksburg, with approximately 80 participants; Weston, with 50 to 60 participants; and Grantsville, with about 85 participants, the DAC said.

Most were hearing about Hope’s plan for the first time, CAD said, and wanted more access to the maps. No maps were presented, but Hope helped those who were interested view their service locations on an interactive map.

CAD said Hope was willing to hold more meetings with individual clients, but not before PSC approved its plan. “The CAD believes that this approach would be retrograde and does not sufficiently protect the client’s rights. …The ASC believes that the interests of all parties would be better served if the normal preliminary conversations between utilities, producers and pipeline customers had already taken place before the application was even filed for review and approval by the Commission.

PSC staff, in the proposed timeline, directs Hope to submit a proposal by Friday identifying 10 percent of the total proposed Red Line mileage for a pilot project. By February 20, identify lines that have other sources of natural gas nearby to avoid converting customers to propane.

By March 20, physically visit each customer’s home to determine if converting to propane is possible. The evidentiary hearing would take place on August 13 and 14.

The ASC observed that Hope does not appear to be opposed to a pilot project, but still wants the review process to proceed on a relatively expedited track.

“The CAD supports the approach of Commission staff, as it provides the opportunity for additional and timely participation and input from affected customers and producers, without unduly and unnecessarily delaying the identification and abandonment of lines that really serve no purpose. »

The Gas & Oil Association of West Virginia is also involved in the case and supports extending the deadline.

“These are new, complex and serious cases,” Go-WV said. “For the fourth time, Hope has proposed a highly compressed procedural timetable that she alone believes is adequate to resolve these complex, new and consequential issues. The public interest requires more time and more notice so that the affected public can participate meaningfully, master the complex factual context, and engage in developing solutions that best advance the public interest in this State.

Hope told the CPS that she intends to file additional testimony around Dec. 20 proposing additional detailed processes and procedures.

But he considers the staff schedule to be unreasonable. The delay benefits some generators along the red lines, but not Hope’s customers, “who must bear the ongoing and increasing costs of operation, maintenance and – the longer abandonment is delayed – line replacement costs red, if necessary, to maintain safe and reliable installations. service to all concerned agricultural customers.

Hope noted that following the public meetings, he committed to hosting additional meetings requested by some county commissions and establishing a dedicated team to answer questions received by phone and email.

The PSC, Hope said, could grant Hope’s request subject to conditions Hope proposes in its Dec. 20 filing.